NATO naval drills start in Black Sea

BRUSSELS – Seven NATO members started a naval exercise in the Black Sea on March 10. The naval rapid reaction force in the drills comprises a U.S. flagship, the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, and ships from the six other participating states – Black Sea countries Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria, plus Canada, Germany and Italy. NATO has held a series of exercises in Eastern Europe, aimed in part to reassure members concerned about Russian intentions following Moscow’s annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March 2014 and its moves in support of separatists fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine. A Bulgarian navy spokesman said the training would include simulated anti-air and anti-submarine warfare exercises, as well as simulated small boat attacks and basic ship handling maneuvers. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by Reuters, digi24.com)