The Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland)-2022 Exercise has started, which is planned to be carried out by our Naval Forces between April 11-21, 2022 in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland)-2022 Exercise has started, which was organized by the Naval Forces Command in the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean, with the participation of 122 ships, 41 aircraft, and 12 thousand personnel.
Exercise Director and Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral Yusuf Akyüz stated that the exercise was planned by the Naval Forces Command based on the Turkish Armed Forces Exercise Program of the General Staff and that it was an actual exercise carried out simultaneously in the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean under the command and administration of the Naval Command.
Emphasizing that it is aimed to increase the training levels of the elements that will participate in the exercise, Akyüz said, “With the Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) Exercise, monitoring the dispatch and administration efficiency of the Naval Forces Command subordinate commands, headquarters, operation centers, headquarters personnel and evaluation of the reasoning, foresight and decision-making abilities of the elements participating in the exercise in a highly threatening environment, and the development of interoperability procedures with other force commands and public institutions will be provided.
122 ships are participating in the exercise
Noting that 10 frigates, 6 corvettes, 17 torpedo boats, 11 submarines, 8 mine-hunting ships, 32 auxiliary class ships, 12 patrol ships, 25 landing craft, 1 test and training ship, a total of 122 ships participated in the exercise, Akyüz said:
“10 maritime patrol aircraft, 17 helicopters, 14 unmanned aerial vehicles, 4 SAT task teams, 2 SAS task teams, amphibious marine infantry units, and amphibious assault teams, attack helicopters from the Land Forces Command, general-purpose helicopters, heavy load helicopters, attack aircraft from the Air Force Command, aerial warning, and control aircraft, target towing aircraft, CBRN team, search and rescue team and search and rescue helicopters from the Gendarmerie General Command, coast guard boats from the Coast Guard Command. Ministries, public institutions and organizations, Presidency General Directorate of Security Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkish Red Crescent will participate in the exercise. The actual phase of the Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) exercise started with the transfer of the ships.”
Akyüz stated that the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, was aboard the TCG Gediz Frigate within the scope of the high-speed advanced unmanned surface and air targets in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Pointing out that during the exercise, operational preparation training for basic naval movement types and actual gunfire will be conducted at high-speed advanced unmanned surface air targets, Akyüz said that the operation in a highly threatening environment including crisis and operational scenarios, Black Sea, Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean at the same time.
Akyüz, between April 11-14, 2022, conducted a series of warfare, anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare, air defense warfare, electronic warfare, and control operations at sea for basic naval movements and submarine rescue operations, preparedness training, high-speed unmanned surface, and air targets, and joint training with the Land and Air Forces Commands.
Stated that within the scope of the exercise, surface fires, air defense shots using a lightning unmanned aerial target, ground bombardment shots, and MAM-L shots from AKSUNGUR SİHA to the surface target will be carried out on the ALBATROS-T Unmanned Surface target, Akyüz said, “Between April 18-21, 2022, port visits will be carried out by 72 ships participating in the exercise, from Black Sea Ereğli to Iskenderun, covering the Black Sea, Aegean, and Eastern Mediterranean coasts. The Naval Forces Command is ready to perform the duties to be assigned in Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) to protect the maritime rights and interests of the Republic of Turkey.”
Mine risk in the Black Sea
Answering the questions later, Akyüz, when asked about the mine risk in the Black Sea, said, “The ongoing developments in the Black Sea will not harm the execution of the planned activities of the exercise. Currently, our ships, maritime patrol planes, helicopters, UAVs, and destruction teams continue their duties, especially against the mine risk in the Western Black Sea Region. Exercise activities will also be carried out in a coordinated manner.”
“We will use the weapon systems we have developed nationally and locally”
On the question regarding the use of domestic and national equipment, Akyüz said, “Of course, we will use national and domestically developed weapon systems in the exercise, as we do every year. Similar to last year, our MAM-L firing will be carried out from our AKSUNGUR SİHA, which has entered the navy inventory differently this year. On April 21, 2022, on Distinguished Observer Day, this shooting will be carried out and will be attended by members of the press and attaches from other countries.”
Asked how this exercise will affect relations with Greece, Akyüz stated that the exercises are followed by other countries and that this is a normal situation, and said, “Therefore, we do not expect any activity and attitude to prevent any exercise other than the exercise. We do not consider that this exercise will be an activity that will increase any tension between Greece and Turkey.”
Naval Command Chief of Staff Rear Admiral İsmail Güldoğan, Mine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Refik Levent Tezcan, Naval Warfare Center Commander Naval Colonel Timur Yılmaz attended the meeting.
