Sailors mark Georgian Coast Guard Day after Sea Breeze multinational drills
A Georgian coast guard ship is seen with the backdrop of vessels from partner countries during the 2021 edition of Sea Breeze drills in the Black Sea. Photo via Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
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The Georgian coast guard service released the assessment of its participation in Sea Breeze multinational defence drills in Ukraine and Black Sea, concluded last weekend, in its celebration of Georgian Coast Guard Day on Friday.
Sailors of the service joined thousands of personnel from over 30 countries in the major 10-day exercise - co-hosted by the United States 6th Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy - that saw participation of two Georgian vessels and boarding groups and closed on July 10.
Dioskuria and Ochamchire, two of the coast service's vessels, participated in the manoeuvres while a platoon-sized unit of the 31st Battalion of the Georgian Defence Forces was involved in land-based elements, and officers from both GDF and coast guard joined their counterparts in staff work.
Until next time! ???????? ????????#ExerciseSeaBreeze2021 has officially come to a close! #SB21 is a multinational maritime exercise co-hosted by @USNavyEurope and the @UA_NAVY since 1997. #NavyPartnerships
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) July 13, 2021
????: MC1 Richard Hoffner & MC2 Damon Grosvenor pic.twitter.com/ScM2iCrUMi
Search and Rescue, maritime gunfire and tactical manoeuvres were some of the elements honed by the participating navies along with improving interoperability between them, the Georgian interior ministry - under which the coast guard department operates - said.
The ministry also said "each element" of the exercise had been planned and executed "with full compliance to NATO standards and procedures", with the maritime moves concluding the 2021 edition of the multinational event.
Around 5,000 personnel from 32 countries featured in the latest Sea Breeze edition along with 32 ships, 40 aircraft and 18 special operations and diver groups. It was held simultaneously in several regions of Ukraine starting on June 28.
Land and seaborne units of the Georgian Defence Forces and the coast guard of the country are joining their counterparts from no less than 30 countries in a large-scale Sea Breeze 2021 drills centred around the Black Sea region.
Vessels from two nations have been involved in surface manoeuvres in the Georgian territorial waters this week, as the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender was joined by Georgian coast guard for drills. The Georgian interior ministry - under which the coast guard department operates - said the manoeuvres served to share experience, develop local capabilities and hone the skills of joint operation.
Land and sea assets as well as staff from the Georgian Defence Forces will participate in Sea Breeze 2021 multinational drills led by the United States and Ukraine hosted in the Black Sea regions of Ukraine starting next month.
Georgian Coast Guard was among navies from NATO member states and partners last week marking over two decades of partnership for Black Sea security through the Sea Breeze 2020 maritime drills.
Georgia is hosting trilateral Eternity 2021 drills involving the country's defence forces alongside their counterparts from Azerbaijan and Turkey, in manoeuvres designed to hone capabilities for protecting strategic energy infrastructure in the South Caucasus.
The Georgian Defence Forces are leading the eighth edition of the Didgori 2021 drills, an inter-agency exercise aiming to develop coordination between state bodies in times of crisis.
A Canadian-mentored multinational command drills aiming to develop interoperability between international partners is hosted in Georgia for the first time, with the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center hosting the opening on Wednesday.