The US Navy and Air Force drill in the Black Sea
Sorin ButiriOn 2nd of August, the USS Naval and Air forces have executed a joint drill in the Black Sea. Also participating at this “unexpected” exercise were the USS Porter destroyer (DDG 78), a submarine patrol aircraft P-8A Poseidon, four F-16 aircrafts and an unmanned research and attack MQ-9 Reaper drone. The aircrafts were logistically ensured by three KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircrafts.
The four F-16 aircrafts departed from the Aviano Air Base (Italy). The P-8A Poseidon aircraft departed from the Sigonella Air Base (Italy) and executed ISR missions west of the Crimean Peninsula. The MQ-9 started its mission at the Miroslawiec Air Base (Poland), without leaving any marks on radars. Two of the air refueling aircrafts KC-135 departed from the Air Base Moron (Spain), have refueled the F-16 aircrafts over the Adriatic Sea, continued their flight over the air spaces of Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria and have refueled the F-16 aircrafts over the Black Sea. The third air refueling aircraft, which was part of the exercise, departed from the Mildenhall air base (Great Britain) and executed the refueling mission in the international space over the Black Sea. The USS Porter is permanently placed at the Naval Base Rota, from Spain, and it was in the Black Sea’s waters as it participated at the maritime exercise “Sea Breeze 2020”. The American destroyer entered the Black Sea on 19th of July.
The air-maritime exercise developed in the international maritime and air space, without breaching the air or maritime space of any state.
The purpose of the exercise was the integration of the air and maritime units, the execution of tactical maneuvers (execution or air-to-surface missile attacks and antiship missiles) and the real time communication for the maritime space’s defence. The F-16 aircrafts were refueled in the international air space by the KC-135.
It is worth mentioning that the F-16 aircrafts have used real ammunition on their trajectory, which is quite unusual for a training drill.
Russia did not use any aircraft to intercept and escort the US aircrafts.
Such common training missions are important for the training of the US military forces and show the US’s strong commitments regarding NATO, the European allies to deter and… when needed to quickly act against any enemy.
The maritime-air drill comes as an answer to the naval exercise Russia executed, in the Black Sea, starting July 29th. The exercise Russia did may be seen as a warning signal for Ukraine and NATO and, in terms of the political-military perspective, as a deterrence action of NATO and a demonstration of Russia’s complete superiority, including the air-maritime one, in the Black Sea space.
Given these circumstances, most likely, the “unexpected” air-maritime exercise the US developed aimed at sending a strong message to Moscow, to cool down its superiority attitude in the Black Sea.
According to previous statements of some Russian officials, “Russia will not conduct major military exercises near the borders with NATO member countries this year”. However, Sergei Rudskoy, the chief of Operations Directorate, has stated that the “2020 Caucasus drill, scheduled for September 21-26, will develop far from NATO’s member states’ borders, but any adjustment of the developing places depends on the North Atlantic Alliance’s attitude”. Therefore, the predictable scenarios of the strategic command and general staff drill “Caucasus 2020” will be refusing an air-maritime attack in the Southern Military Region, along with defending the Russia’s national borders in the border area with the Baltic States and making a force demonstration to support an ally (Armenia).
Translated by Andreea Soare
