NATO Exercise Sea Shield 24. Peaceful Rhetoric and Questionable Subtext
NATO ships at last year's Sea Shield 23 exercise
NATO continues a series of international military exercises in Eastern Europe. The other day, Sea Shield 24 naval maneuvers began in the western part of the Black Sea. More than 2 thousand military personnel from 12 Alliance countries and a large amount of equipment were involved in them. According to official reports, the purpose of the exercise is to test the interaction of armies and navies in solving defensive tasks. However, there is every reason to suspect the presence of other plans and subtexts.
Exercises and participants
The North Atlantic Alliance has been conducting the Sea Shield series of exercises since 2015. Training battles as part of these maneuvers take place in the western part of the Black Sea and at the land training grounds of nearby countries. The purpose of such exercises is always said to be to test the interaction of the armed forces of different countries in protecting common interests in the region. At the same time, the scenario and legend of the exercises change each time taking into account the current situation and challenges.
This year, contingents from 24 NATO countries - Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the United States, Turkey and France - are taking part in Exercise Sea Shield 10. In addition, non-aligned Georgia and Moldova sent their troops.
The main role in organizing the exercises, for geographical reasons, is assigned to Romania in the person of the naval command. It is noted that Sea Shield 24 is the largest and most complex training event of the current year for the Romanian armed forces.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, more than 2,2 thousand military personnel from 12 countries are involved in the Sea Shield exercise. They have to use 135 units. various techniques. This number includes 27 vessels, ships and boats of sea and river fleet, 17 aircraft and 91 land and water vehicles. Exact ship composition, list of personnel involved aviation equipment, etc. has not yet been revealed.
Training battles take place in the western part of the Black Sea, as well as in the Danube Delta - both on the river and on the islands. Separate episodes are also planned for nearby land test sites. According to official reports, participants in the maneuvers must patrol and monitor the situation at sea and on the river. They will have to identify and suppress the illegal economic activities of the mock enemy, conduct search and/or rescue activities, and protect critical infrastructure.
During the maneuvers
The opening ceremony of Exercise Sea Shield 24 took place on the morning of April 8 in the Romanian port of Constanta. The flags of NATO and the countries participating in the exercises were raised, and routine statements were made about the great importance of the maneuvers for overall security in the current difficult conditions. Then the command of the international contingent received combat training tasks and began to carry them out.
“Sea Shield” is distinguished by its long duration. The exercises will last until April 21 - exactly two weeks, which is significantly longer than in the case of other NATO exercises. This is probably due to a more complex scenario of maneuvers, involving numerous episodes of various kinds and requiring appropriate time.
According to known data, the first training battles took place on April 8, shortly after the opening of the maneuvers. At the same time, the NATO leadership and the military departments of Romania or other participating countries are in no hurry to talk about the progress of the exercises. For now, everything is limited to dry official reports on the completion of combat training missions, interaction training, etc.
Potential Threat
According to official reports, the Sea Shield 24 exercise is purely defensive in nature and is aimed at working out the issues of protecting the interests of individual countries and NATO as a whole. It hardly needs reminding that such rhetoric accompanies any Alliance training events. In essence, these are routine statements about peacefulness and collective security, which are used to cover up true intentions.
The Sea Shield-24 exercises are being held in the Black Sea region, which very clearly hints at their goals and objectives. It is obvious that these maneuvers - like any other NATO activity in Eastern Europe - are directly related to the Alliance's intentions to confront Russia.
New maneuvers are being carried out in the western part of the Black Sea, dangerously close to Russian territories. Thus, the distance from the city of Constanta to the coast of Crimea does not exceed 350-400 km. At the same time, NATO ships and aircraft can operate at a distance from Romanian territory, moving even closer to Crimea or other regions. What tasks they can solve and what threat they pose is a big question.
Romanian divers during Sea Shield 23
Exercise Sea Shield 24 uses several Romanian ports. This means that local infrastructure is once again being tested to ensure it meets NATO requirements and plans. It should be recalled that ships of other Alliance countries regularly visit Romania, but this time we are talking about an increased load on the infrastructure. In fact, the ability of local ports to receive increased contingents of foreign naval forces is demonstrated.
Participants in the maneuvers are going to practice patrolling water areas and protecting shipping from potential threats; firing practice is planned. All this looks like practicing actions to combat enemy surface ships and boats. At the same time, the Russian Black Sea Fleet is obviously considered as a potential enemy in the region.
Some of the Sea Shield events will take place within the Danube delta and on local islands. The river fleet and ground units will have to practice operations in such a theater - maneuvering, landing, combat, etc. This can be seen as a hint of a potential landing on the Russian coast.
Search and rescue activities of an educational nature are planned. According to the legend of the exercises, this is a humanitarian operation, but another explanation can be found for it. So, in the event of an open conflict, the search and rescue service will not be left idle, and it will have to constantly evacuate aviation and naval crews.
Apparently, the international exercise will not affect other NATO activities in the region, and planned activities will continue. It should be expected that reconnaissance aircraft and UAVs will continue to operate in the Black Sea airspace, the task of which is to monitor the situation in the Ukrainian theater of operations and monitor the actions of the Russian army. At the same time, against the backdrop of the exercises, reconnaissance activity may increase, and participants in the maneuvers will provide a certain camouflage.
It is obvious that the current exercises will not interfere with NATO logistics. Romania and other Eastern European states provide their transport infrastructure to supply the Kyiv regime with military products. Work of this kind will continue, despite training battles. Of course, with the availability of military cargo for transportation, which is becoming increasingly scarce.
Retaliatory measures
The Russian armed forces are aware of the latest NATO exercises in the Black Sea and are taking retaliatory measures. As always happens in such cases, monitoring of the activities of the participants in the maneuvers was organized. Using various means, the progress of exercises and the actions of the NATO contingent is monitored. At the same time, air defense and coastal defense are ready to suppress possible provocations.
The general background of the Sea Shield 24 exercise and other NATO activities in Eastern Europe also does not go unnoticed. Measures are being taken to strengthen defense in relevant areas, and the activities of nearby Alliance member countries are also being monitored.
Monitoring NATO activities on the “eastern flank”, incl. for exercises like the “Sea Shield” is of great importance. The collected information allows us to more accurately assess the capabilities of the North Atlantic Alliance as a whole and its individual members. These data are then used in planning domestic military development.
Thus, NATO continues its activities in Eastern Europe and conducts regular exercises, this time aimed at studying the interaction of fleets and ground structures of a number of countries. Despite all the calming statements, such events do not contribute to maintaining a favorable environment and are more like another provocation. However, the Russian army knows how to respond to such actions of a potential enemy and takes the necessary measures. Until the end of next week, she will have to observe NATO exercises, collect data and draw conclusions.
Information