Multinational military drills of NATO member countries and partners of the Noble Partner 2018 alliance has started in Georgia and will last until August 15. This was reported on the website of the Georgian Defense Ministry.

The exercises will be held at Vaziani Air Base, Vaziani Military Base and at the training ground in Norio village.

3,000 soldiers from 13 NATO member countries and partner countries including Georgia, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia will take part in the exercises. This time, the US aerial support and German armored personnel carriers will also participate in the training.

"These exercises are held in Georgia for the fourth time and are aimed at improving the defensive and offensive operations skills, increasing readiness and compatibility between the NATO member countries and partner countries and also contributing to the maintenance of a stable and secure environment in the Black Sea region," the report says.

The scenario of the drills includes command, staff and field training with live fire, maneuvers and elements of combat support in defensive and offensive operations.

As it was reported earlier, the Black Sea waters hosted a joint exercise of the NATO combat vessels and Ukrainian Navy ships. On July 23, six Alliance vessels, including frigates and minesweepers reached the seaport of Odesa, southern Ukraine. The maneuvers began on July 26. Boudewijn Boots, the Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 said that this visit – the third one since the annexation of Crimea by Russia – clearly shows the Alliance’s support of Ukraine.

Earlier, we reported that a group of NATO vessels entered Odesa port. It was specified that the ships are the part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2). In particular, a frigate "De Ruyter" of the Netherland’s Royal Navy, a frigate "Fatih" and mine-hunter "Аnamur" of the Turkish Navy, Germany’s support ship "Rhein", a frigate "Regele Ferdinand" and mine-hunter "Lupu Dinescu" from Romania docked in the port.

Sea Breeze 2018 drills kicked off in Odesa on July 9. This year's exercises involve 30 vessels from naval forces of 19 countries, including a Turkish submarine. An important feature of the exercise is that the multinational staff will be coordinating the actions of naval, air and ground forces from USS Mount Whitney, the flagship of the 6th U.S. Navy Fleet.