The international NATO exercise Sea Shield 24 has started in Romania. This was stated by the Romanian Permanent Representative to NATO Dan Neculaescu.

“Today begins one of the most comprehensive international exercises led by the Romanian Navy Sea Shield 24! 12 NATO member and partner countries are joining forces in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta. More than 2.2 thousand military personnel and 135 pieces of equipment are involved. The goal is to increase interoperability and strengthen the defense on the eastern flank,” Neculaescu wrote on his page on the social network X.

The states intend to practice operational procedures against submarines, on the water surface and against aviation in the Black Sea and in the river area of ​​​​responsibility, explained the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Navy, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, as quoted by Radio Romania.

Earlier, the press service of the Romanian Ministry of Defense announced plans to hold NATO exercise Sea Shield 24, clarifying that 27 sea and river ships, 17 aircraft and 91 vehicles and watercraft will be involved in the maneuvers.

According to the department, the maneuvers will be carried out in the Black Sea, “in the coastal zone, on the Danube and in its delta.” The stated purpose of the training is to perform tasks to combat illegal activities at sea and river, as well as sea and river control, search and rescue at sea, assist ships in distress and ensure security at the critical infrastructure level.

In addition to Romania, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the USA, Turkey and France will take part in the maneuvers.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported that the maneuver scenario is continuously updated in order to quickly and effectively respond to the full range of threats to regional security and stability.

"May cause incidents"

As military expert Alexey Leonkov noted, it was no coincidence that Romania, which borders Ukraine, was chosen to host NATO Sea Shield 24 exercises.

“The countries have a fairly long common border, which means Romania is quite close to the combat zone. There are many seaports on Romanian territory that can be used during exercises to practice assigned tasks, both announced and hidden. The press release does not mention this, but most likely reconnaissance equipment will also operate during such training, for the purpose of, for example, monitoring what is happening in the northwestern military zone,” the analyst said in an interview with RT.

Leonkov also noted that if you look at the wording of the Sea Shield 24 scenario, “defensive rhetoric” prevails there, but in reality the alliance pursues completely different goals.

“Official documents say that the maneuvers are aimed at ensuring safety and free navigation. But the question is that the forces involved in the exercises are excessive to ensure the safety of navigation and cannot be called defensive,” the expert believes.

According to Leonkov, changes to the Sea Shield 24 scenario, as reported in the block, can be explained by the fact that NATO wants to bring these trainings as close as possible to real combat operations.

“As part of Sea Shield 24, military actions will most likely be practiced not only on water, but also on land training grounds. And the presence of such forces, including warships and aircraft, near a combat zone can provoke incidents - both at sea and in the air. NATO is taking a big risk by conducting such exercises, since any careless maneuver against the backdrop of operating Russian electronic warfare systems in the Northern Military District zone can lead to irreparable consequences,” the analyst is confident.

  • NATO base in Romania

  • globallookpress.com

  • © Kathryn Lauer

In turn, RISI expert Sergei Ermakov explained that within the framework of Sea Shield 24, based on the military-political situation, “NATO strategists” will probably practice various methods of warfare.

“For this purpose, the waters of the Danube and other rivers will be used, including taking into account the experience of the Ukrainian armed conflict. “We are talking, first of all, about working out the level of interaction between traditional coastal defense forces and navies with new elements, including various drones, aviation and space communications,” the expert noted in a commentary to RT.

In addition, it is possible that various sabotage operations will be practiced, Ermakov believes.

“Given the constant attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the help of their Western supervisors, to undermine the power of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, using long-range missiles, as well as unmanned sea boats, it is obvious that NATO exercises that practice similar types of actions will potentially threaten Russia. And given the fact that NATO countries are providing military-technical assistance to Kyiv, it cannot be ruled out that, under the guise of maneuvers, NATO will try to secure routes for the delivery of weapons to Ukraine,” Ermakov believes.

Against the background of DEFENDER 24

Let us remind you that in addition to the Sea Shield 24 exercises, NATO is also conducting the largest maneuvers of the US Armed Forces in Europe, DEFENDER 24, which began on April 4 and will last until May 31. It is planned to involve more than 17 thousand American military personnel and 23 thousand military personnel from more than 20 allied and partner countries in the training. As the press service of the United States Command of the Armed Forces in Europe and Africa clarifies, on April 4, ships with the equipment of the American army left the United States for Europe for the DEFENDER 24 exercises. The maneuvers are aimed at “dynamic deployment of forces” in Europe to ensure “deterrence and increased readiness NATO".

“DEFENDER 24 complements NATO's Exercise Steadfast Defender 24, the alliance's largest military maneuver since the Cold War, and demonstrates the United States' ability to rapidly deploy forces to Europe to protect American security interests in every inch of NATO territory,” said General Darryl Williams, who leads US Command in Europe and Africa, as well as the Joint Command of NATO Ground Forces.

In addition to the strategic deployment of forces based in the continental United States, the primary focus of Exercise DEFENDER 24 is the use of the U.S. Army's "pre-positioned reserves" as well as interoperability with allies and partners in exercise areas in 13 European countries. The maneuvers are aimed at “containing opponents,” transforming operational command, increasing combat readiness and “strengthening NATO,” the press service specified.

“We provide the mobility and support for the Joint Force,” said Lt. Gen. Daniel Tully, commander of U.S. Army Transportation Command. “More than 80 percent of U.S. forces are located in the continental United States, and Exercise DEFENDER 24, coupled with other global missions, provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities and ability to meet current and future national security requirements.”

“Create pressure on the Russian Federation”

By conducting large-scale exercises, including Sea Shield 24 and DEFENDER 24, the North Atlantic Alliance is trying to consolidate its forces on the southern flank and in the Black Sea, noted Alexey Leonkov.

“No matter what is stated in the press releases for these maneuvers, their true goal is clearly anti-Russian. Now all the exercises that NATO is conducting on the western borders of the Russian Federation are aimed at preparing for confrontation with Russia. In Europe, there are increasingly frequent calls to prepare for war, which is what the bloc is doing now, and above all, the European NATO allies,” the analyst said.

According to Sergei Ermakov, both Sea Shield 24 and DEFENDER 24 are part of the “NATO global strategy”, the main emphasis of which is on military counteraction to Russia.

“We see that these maneuvers fit into the preparation of NATO member countries for serious opposition to Russia. As part of such efforts by the bloc, military exercises are gaining greater quantitative and qualitative scope every year. By conducting a lot of military training in Europe near the Russian borders, NATO is trying to create pressure on the Russian Federation. However, Russia is ready to respond to all possible provocations that may arise during such maneuvers,” the expert noted.

  • Preparations of the Dutch army to participate in the Steadfast Defender 2024 maneuvers

  • © Remko de Waal / ANP

The Russian side has already secured its borders against the backdrop of similar NATO exercises, Leonkov stated.

“In particular, air defense, air force and coast guard units are working around the clock. Russia is ready for any scenarios and provocations from the West, especially during NATO maneuvers near the North-East Military District zone,” the analyst concluded.