US Navy keeps its distance while Ukraine fights on its own coast
US naval units are taking part in an exercise in the Black Sea this week and visiting a Turkish city to send a message of NATO solidarity in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from Task Force 67, based at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, and expeditionary units from Task Force 68, based at Naval Station Rota in Spain, will participate in Exercise Breeze 2022 in Bulgaria, Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet announced Friday.
Meanwhile, the USS Bainbridge, currently part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, made a scheduled port visit to the Sea of Marmara near Aksaz, Turkey, on Monday, the Navy said in a separate statement.
The destroyer USS Bainbridge, the frigate ITS Alpino of the Italian Navy, the frigate FS Languedoc of the French Navy and the destroyer USS Cole transiting the Adriatic Sea (from the front), 6 July 2022. The Bainbridge arrived in Aksaz, Turkey, on 18 July for a port visit.
Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, submarines and patrol boats of the Russian Black Sea Fleet imposed a naval blockade in the northern Black Sea, making it impossible for cargo ships, including those carrying Ukrainian grain, to safely pass through the area. The blockade has eased somewhat in recent days after the Russian armed forces abandoned the strategically important Snake Island fortress.
In addition, Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships, including the sinking of the guided missile cruiser Moskva in April, have led to fewer Russian patrols in the vicinity of Odessa. However, the fear of Russian attacks on merchant ships and other vessels remains.
The Sea Breeze exercise, led by the Bulgarian Navy, began on Thursday and will take place in and around the cities of Burgas and Varna until 25 July, the Bulgarian news agency reported on Thursday.
According to the news agency, 24 warships, cutters and support vessels, five aeroplanes and four helicopters with 1,390 naval personnel from 10 NATO member states, including Albania, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania and Turkey, will take part.
Task Force 68 units plan to participate in several events, including mine countermeasures, remotely operated vehicle search techniques and underwater ordnance reconnaissance, the Navy said.
The Truman has mainly travelled in the Ionian Sea, the Adriatic and the Mediterranean and has supported patrol and training flights in Eastern Europe since it was transferred to the Sixth Fleet's area of responsibility in December.
Source: Alison Bath, Stars and Stripes
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