ODESA – The initial conference on the planning of the Ukrainian-U.S. Sea Breeze 2013 exercises has started in Odesa, the media liaisons office of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported.
The event is being attended by delegations of the organizers of the exercises – Ukraine and the United States, as well as more than ten countries that have currently agreed to participate in the exercises.
According to a co-director of the exercises from the Ukrainian side, Captain 1st Rank Ihor Teriokhin, the participants in the conference will develop a common strategy, determine the composition of forces and means and specify the places and areas of future maneuvers.
“Next year Sea Breeze exercises envisage the holding of an operation to ensure safety at sea with an emphasis on the control of marine environment and the conduct of non-combatant evacuation operations. Similar problems are relevant and interesting to our troops,” Teriokhin said.
The officer also said that for the first time in several years the subdivisions of the Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry had been invited to participate in Sea Breeze 2013 exercises for training on joint actions to eliminate the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters, conduct humanitarian projects and ensure the safety of the local population.
As reported, Ukrainian-U.S. Sea Breeze exercises have been conducted since 1997 in line with the 1993 memorandum of understanding and cooperation in defense and military relations between the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
