18 June 2004

NATO exercise in the Black Sea News 18/06/2004 - AFSOUTH Exercise Cooperative Partner 2004 Multimedia 18/06/2004 - AFSOUTH Photos of Exercise Cooperative Partner 2004 A maritime exercise called Exercise Cooperative Partner 2004 is taking place in Varna, Bulgaria, and the Black Sea, 18 June to 2 July. As its name indicates, it involves Partner as well as NATO participants, with a total of approximately 4 000 military personnel, over 40 ships and 11 aircraft taking part. They are training around a crisis response operation scenario, together with NATO’s Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, Mine Countermeasures Force South and NATO Southern Region Headquarters. In addition, two representatives from NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue - Mauritania and Morocco – are participating as observers. The principal aim of the exercise is to show NATO’s ability to integrate Partner forces and to assess progress in interoperability among NATO members, as well as between NATO and Partner forces. Local and international non-governmental humanitarian relief organisations are also involved in the exercise, which is under the overal command of the Joint Force Command, Naples. It is being conducted by the Headquarters Allied Naval Forces South (HQ NAVSOUTH), and the submarine operations component part of the exercise by Commander (Turkish navy) Submarine Black Sea (COMSUBBLACK) in support of COMNAVSOUTH.