Exercise Sea Breeze 2024 Wraps Up Thrilling Maritime Drills in Varna, Bulgaria

U.S. 6th Fleet and the Bulgarian Navy have concluded the third phase of Sea Breeze 2024, marking the end of the 23rd iteration of the exercise on September 20, 2024.

Twelve nations took part in Sea Breeze 2024-3, focusing on activities such as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), dive operations, and unmanned underwater vehicles.

Cmdr. John P. Kennedy, commanding officer of EOD Mobile Unit 8, explained, “We adopted a ‘crawl, walk, run’ approach for the EOD portion of the exercise. By the end, we were able to complete a full-mission rehearsal successfully.” Kennedy was impressed by the collaboration and learning among the sailors from the participating countries, which enhanced their collective EOD and mine countermeasures (MCM) capabilities.

The culminating event of Sea Breeze 2024-3 was a full-mission rehearsal. It began with an underwater vehicle detecting a simulated mine threat. Joint EOD teams then applied their training to locate the mine, dive to place an explosive charge, detonate it to neutralize the threat, and confirm the effectiveness of the procedures with divers.

In the final training week, the U.S., and its Allies and partners worked on refining tactics, techniques, and procedures for EOD and MCM. The exercise successfully enhanced the combined EOD/MCM capabilities, pivotal for the Black Sea’s demining efforts.

Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, emphasized the exercise’s importance for the Black Sea region’s future peace, security, and stability. “We greatly appreciate the Allies and partners who joined us to promote freedom of navigation, stability, and security in the Black Sea,” Ishee said. He highlighted the collaborative efforts in ordnance disposal and mine detection and neutralization, essential for addressing current and future mine threats.

Sea Breeze 2024 saw participation from Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, NATO Allied Maritime Command, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, the U.K., and the U.S.

The first phase, hosted by the U.K. from June 24 to July 5, focused on integrating mine countermeasure vessels (MCMV) and augmenting a Ukrainian task group headquarters with international staff officers and mentors.

The second phase, a Fleet Commanders’ Conference co-hosted by the Bulgarian Navy and U.S. 6th Fleet from September 9-11, focused on the maritime situation in the Black Sea, collective demining capabilities, and enhancing maritime security.

Based in Naples, Italy, the U.S. 6th Fleet executes a variety of joint and naval operations, often in coordination with allied and interagency partners, to support U.S. national interests and ensure security and stability across Europe and Africa.