A team of 14 divers, support staff and staff officers from Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic has been deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to SEA BREEZE 2017.
Being led by the United States and Ukraine Navies, SEA BREEZE 2017 (SB17) is a multinational training event that is taking place in Odessa, Ukraine from July 10 to 21. This event will focus on training and exercise in maritime operations support information sharing and awareness of the maritime domain, according to a release from National Defence.
“SEA BREEZE 2017 highlights the Royal Canadian Navy’s commitment to security in the Black Sea,” said Rear-Admiral John Newton, Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic and Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic. “Canadian sailors and staff officers will work with a host of like-minded partners to enhance our collective skills in developing an accurate and shared picture of maritime activities in the region.”
During the event, the navies and partners will work together to exercise maritime security, safety, and stability operations with a focus on anti-submarine warfare, infrastructure protection, amphibious operations, and cyberspace defence missions. Also, Ukrainian Law Enforcement Agencies namely the Coast Guard, National Guard, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Security Service of Ukraine will join the training from a Maritime/Amphibious angle.
SB17 provides an invaluable opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to build and strengthen interoperability skills between Canada’s international maritime allies. These skills when finely honed “are remarkably exportable to achieve higher levels of security in the international setting,” said Rear-Admiral John Newton.
