After conducting maritime security operations and participating naval exercises, the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed the Black Sea on 3rd August, 6th Fleet announced.
While in the Black Sea, Porter and her crew participated in the 20th iteration of joint U.S.-Ukrainian hosted, annual maritime exercise Sea Breeze, a multinational effort that drew together air, land, and sea forces from Bulgaria, Georgia, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States. This year’s exercise involved over 400 U.S. service members and eight nations, with a focus on multiple warfare areas including maritime interdiction operations, air defense, anti-submarine warfare, damage control, and search and rescue operations.
The ship entered the Black Sea July 19, to strengthen interoperability with NATO Allies and partners to demonstrate the collective resolve to Black Sea security while participating in exercise Sea Breeze 20. This visit marks the third Black Sea regional patrol in five months for Porter.
During previous visits to the Black Sea, Porter and her crew took part in three naval exercises with naval forces from the Bulgarian, Georgian, Romanian, and Turkish navies, as well as the Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51). Porter also conducted two visits to Batumi, Georgia while maintaining COVID-19 precautions.
The U.S. Navy routinely operates in the Black Sea consistent with international law, including the Montreux Convention.
Porter, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.
