Guided missile destroyer USS Ross enters Black Sea to ‘strengthen regional security’
Published time: 23 Jul, 2016 03:54
The
guided missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71). © Michael Sandberg / U.S. Navy /
Wikipedia
A US guided missile destroyer, USS Ross, equipped with the Aegis advanced
missile defense system has entered the Black Sea and is heading to the
Ukrainian port city of Odessa to join the international maritime exercises Sea
Breeze 2016.
The Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Ross is set to join the international
exercises in the Back Sea that involve several NATO countries, including the
US, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Poland, Romania, Turkey and the UK, as
well as non-NATO members, such Georgia and Ukraine.
The second stage of the drills called Sea Breeze 2016 started on Monday
and will last until July 30. The exercises are the 15th iteration of Sea
Breeze, which is “an annual exercise held in the Black Sea designed to
enhance interoperability and strengthen regional security,” according
to the US Navy.
The first stage lasted from July 11 to July 17, with 25 military
vessels, two planes, two helicopters and some 1,700 personnel are taking part
in the exercise conducted in the international waters of the Black Sea.
Some 2,500 personnel from 13 countries are taking part in this stage of
the drills that include, “maritime interdiction operations as a primary means
to enhance maritime security. Other warfare areas to be tested include air
defense, anti-submarine warfare, damage control, search and rescue, and other
tactical maneuvers,” according to the Navy.
USS Ross is one of four US destroyers based in Rota, Spain. It is
equipped with the Aegis missile defense system that is designed for the fleet’s
air defense against massive air raids. Aegis is also used as a part of the US
global missile defense system. The vessel is equipped with two blocks of
missile launchers and is able to carry as many as 90 missiles, including
‘Standard’ ABM interceptor missiles and Tomahawk missiles.
On Thursday, USS Whidbey Island, an amphibious warship able to carry up
to 500 US marines, entered the Black Sea and joined the drills.
The growing activity of the US Navy in the Black Sea raises concerns in
Russia. Russian armed forces will draw conclusions from the activities of the
US naval vessels in the region, Vladimir Komoedov, the head of the Russian
State Duma’s Defense Committee and former commander of the Russian Black Sea
Fleet, told journalists.
“The
US continues to take an interest in the Black Sea region. The arrival of the US
amphibious assault ship sparks concern. It is of no importance under what
pretext it takes place. This move provokes only condemnation,” Komoedov said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
He also stressed that the arrival of the US warships in the Black Sea
serves as evidences of the aggressiveness of the US policy. “I am sure that we
will draw conclusion from this situation,” Komoedov added.
Following Crimea’s reunification with Russia after a referendum in
March 2014, NATO member states in the region have been scaremongering that the
Black Sea is turning into a “Russian lake.”
Since the spring of 2014, NATO warships, including missile cruisers
from the US and other allied nations, have been patrolling the Black Sea on a
rotational basis, never leaving the area unattended.
A possible military beef-up in the Black Sea would see the creation of
NATO’s Black Sea Fleet, formed by member-states with direct access to the sea.
NATO’s Black Sea flotilla was initially proposed by Romania in January,
and immediately backed by Turkey, another member country, that at the time had
tense relations with Moscow. Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, has also
expressed its readiness to join the force, even though it only has one
combat-worthy warship at the moment. Bulgaria opposed the proposal citing
concerns over further militarization.
The final decision on creation of the Black Sea flotilla will be taken
by the NATO defense ministers in October.
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