Photo By Chief Petty Officer Joseph Buliavac | 250707-N-RC734-1012 PORTLAND PORT, United Kingdom (July 7, 2025) - British Royal Navy...... read more read more
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The Maritime Operations Center (MOC) in Portland serves as the operational heartbeat of Exercise Sea Breeze 2025, where multinational naval forces engage in simulation of mine countermeasures and underwater operations.
This phase of Sea Breeze 2025 focuses on mine countermeasures (MCM), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), dive operations, and the use of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs). However, it is within the MOC that the tactical picture comes together, and missions are coordinated in real time.
At the core of the MOC is a Ukrainian-led task group headquarters. The HQ is supported by an integrated team of international staff officers from allied and partner nations. Together, they direct operations involving multiple Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMVs), coordinating joint responses to simulated threats across a dynamic maritime environment.
“This exercise enables Ukraine and NATO and other partner nations from the globe to work closely together with the aim of enhancing all of our collectively interoperability for operations in the future,” said British Royal Navy Cmdr. Alasdair Magill, Sea Breeze 25-2 exercise control director.
The MOC serves as the central hub for:
• Live tracking and command of MCMVs during mine detection and clearance operations.
• Integration of data from UUVs and sonar systems, generating a real-time underwater operating picture.
• Coordination of EOD dive teams, who rely on the MOC for mission briefs, safety oversight, and threat analysis.
• Multinational staff collaboration, enabling joint decision-making and rapid operational planning.
From Portland, exercise participants are testing the limits of operational command in a contested maritime environment. The MOC provides the critical infrastructure to fuse intelligence, technology, and experience, enabling operators to act swiftly, decisively, and as a single, cohesive unit.
“I feel like this exercise is going incredibly well. Our training audience is incredibly well motivated and diligent in their efforts,” said Magill. “They are keen to take the expertise from all the partner nations that involved in this exercise which has helped to achieve all of the planned training aims and objectives in support of the Ukrainian Navy.”
Exercise Sea Breeze is an annual multinational maritime exercise co-hosted by Ukraine and partner nations. The 2025 edition emphasizes underwater threat mitigation, mine warfare proficiency, and coalition command and control, with the MOC at its center.
This year, Exercise Sea Breeze 2025 occurred in two iterations, Sea Breeze 25-1 and 25-2. The first iteration, Sea Breeze 25-1, was hosted by the Romanian Armed Forces at Smardan Range, Romania, June 1-20, 2025.
Since 1997, Exercise Sea Breeze has brought together Black Sea nations, NATO Allies and partners together to train and operate with NATO members in the pursuit of building increased capabilities. Exercise Sea Breeze 2025 is an annual multinational maritime exercise, involving sea, land, and air components co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine to enhance interoperability and capability among participating forces.
Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allies, international partners, and other U.S. government departments and agencies to advance U.S. national interests, security, and stability in Europe and Africa.
| Date Taken: | 07.09.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.09.2025 06:06 |
| Story ID: | 542280 |
| Location: | PORTLAND, DORSET, GB |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Maritime Operations Center Drives Mine Warfare and Underwater Ops During Sea Breeze 2025, by LT Gulianna Dunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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