Planning conference of Fairway of Peace 2011 exercise was held in Sevastopol

28.01.2011 A two-day planning conference on Russian-Ukrainian naval exercise Fairway of Peace 2011 started in Sevastopol on Jan 27 in accordance with the plan of international cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries.

Working groups of Russia's Black Sea Fleet (BSF) and Ukrainian Navy took part in the conference.

The exercise is to be conducted late in May 2011; the scenario is a peacekeeping operation in a crisis area. Participants are supposed to elaborate common views on methods and tactics of peacekeeping operations; practice headquarters activities; control international all-arms force; direct actions of BSF and Ukrainian marine units while landing on unequipped coast; control crews of Russian and Ukrainian warships while arranging all kinds of defenses underway and within unsecured harbor; conduct mutual combat, logistic, and technical support drills; practice joint actions of search-and-rescue services.

The participants agreed to use Russian as working language of the exercise.

In accordance with rotational principle, the exercise will be headed by a representative of Black Sea Fleet; his deputy will be a Ukrainian counterpart.

First planning conference deals with organizational matters. Final structure of administrative body, sequence of the exercise and its strength will be specified during further conferences in Feb and Apr 2011.

Joint Russian-Ukrainian naval exercise Fairway of Peace was firstly conducted in 1997, then under mutual agreement it was held biannually (1999, 2001, and 2003). After a break, the exercise was resumed in 2010 as an interactive headquarters exercise. Then Russian and Ukrainian defense ministers decided to conduct the Fairway of Peace exercise every year with participation of active warships of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and Ukrainian Navy.