site.btaMultinational Maritime Exercise Breeze 2026 Begins in Black Sea

The Breeze 2026 multinational maritime exercise began on July 10 in the western Black Sea and will continue until July 19, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release on Friday.

Organized by the Bulgarian Navy, the exercise aims to enhance interoperability and cooperation among participating forces through joint training in crisis response operations and the management of major maritime emergencies and accidents.

The exercise brings together warships, aircraft, unmanned underwater vehicles, diving teams and staff officers from the navies of Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Turkiye, France and the United States, as well as units from the Joint Forces Command, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Land Forces, the Bulgarian Air Force, the Georgi Rakovski Military Academy, the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, and the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group.

Marking its 30th edition, Breeze 2026 also involves representatives of five ministries, 26 state bodies, government and non-government organizations, volunteer associations and private companies. The European Maritime Safety Agency is also participating.

Planning of the exercise was led by Bulgarian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, who serves as exercise director.