Bulgaria’s Breeze 2026 large-scale naval exercise on until July 19
Bulgaria’s Breeze 2026 naval exercise, in which vessels from several other countries are participating, begins on July 10 and continues until July 19 in Bulgarian territorial waters in the western part of the Black Sea, the Ministry of Defence said.
The main objective of the exercise is to increase interoperability and interaction between participants by working on joint tasks and conducting a wide range of actions at sea in a crisis response operation and liquidation of the consequences of major accidents and incidents, the Defence Ministry said.
Breeze 2026 will involve warships, aircraft, unmanned underwater vehicles, diving groups and staff officers from the navies of Bulgaria, Albania, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United States, Türkiye, France, the Joint Forces Command, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Ground Forces, the Air Force, the GS Rakovski Naval Academy, and the NY Vaptsarov Naval Academy.
Ships from the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Group will also participate in the exercise.
In 2026, Breeze is being held for the 30th time and continues the tradition of interdepartmental cooperation and interaction with non-governmental organisations and private companies in a multinational environment.
Structures from five ministries, 26 state organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, volunteer associations and private companies will participate in the exercise.
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which monitors the implementation of legislation related to reducing the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships and loss of life at sea, will also be involved in Breeze 2026.
The planning of the exercise was carried out under the leadership of Navy commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, who is also the overall leader of Breeze 2026.
The officer conducting the exercise and the director of the exercise is Fleet Admiral Vanyo Musinski, deputy commander of the Navy. The commander of the multinational naval operational unit is Fleet Admiral Radko Penev, commander of the Flotilla of Combat and Auxiliary Ships.
(Photo: Bulgarian Ministry of Defence)
