On Monday, September 20, on the basis of the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security of the National Academy of Ground Forces named after Hetman Petro Sahaidachny, the joint Ukrainian-US military exercises Rapid Trident-2021 will begin.
“The Ukrainian-US military exercises Rapid Trident-2021 will last from September 20 to October 1, 2021. The main goal is to prepare for joint actions as part of the multinational forces during coalition operations,” the press service of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Thursday.
It is noted that these exercises are an important step for Ukraine on the way to NATO, they should increase the level of training and efficiency of Ukrainian troops, as well as improve the compatibility of the headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the United States and other NATO members and partner states.
“Some 6,000 servicemen from fifteen partner countries will take part in the exercises,” the message says.
It clarifies that for the first time in the history of Rapid Trident, tactical exercises of a multinational battalion with live fire will be carried out. Also, during the exercise, it is planned to jointly land Ukrainian and American paratroopers from the US military transport aircraft C-130.
The final planning conference for the Ukrainian-American exercises Sea Breeze-2021 ended in Odesa on May 13, the public relations service of the Command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
“The purpose of the event was to finalize the plan, the format for attracting the participating states and reconnaissance of the venues,” the Ukrainian Navy said on its Facebook page.
The conference, together with Ukraine, was attended by 16 member states and partners of the North Atlantic Alliance.
“The Sea Breeze is another important step and the most important event aimed at obtaining the capabilities of the Navy to operate completely according to NATO standards. This year we are returning to a full-scale training format, in which all components are involved,” Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neyizhpapa said.
This year, for the first time, representatives of Senegal and Tunisia took part in the final conference.
In general, it is planned to attract more than 30 ships, 30 aircraft in the naval and air components and more than 1,400 military personnel from various countries in the land component.
The current Sea Breeze exercise brings together a record number of participating countries, namely 27 countries will take part directly with the involvement of units, ships, aircraft and appropriate officers. Taking into account the “observers”, up to 35 countries are planning to take part in the Sea Breeze-2021 exercises.
Last year, due to quarantine restrictions, the Sea Breeze exercises were limited to only the naval phase with the involvement of aviation. All joint activities took place in the Black Sea without personnel contact.
The Sea Breeze exercises have been conducted on the territory of Ukraine since 1997 in accordance with the 1993 Memorandum between the U.S. and Ukrainian Ministries of Defense. The co-organizers of the exercises are Ukraine and the United States.
