Ukraine’s Navy officially joins NATO mine warfare command system for first time
The press service also said that during the Ukrainian-American Sea Breeze 2026 exercises, the mine countermeasures headquarters of the 1st Mine Countermeasures Ships Division of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully passed a second-level assessment under NATO standards, known as NATO Evaluation Level 2, or NEL-2.
The Navy explained that, under the guiding document "NATO Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback Program," the NEL-2 assessment focuses not only on checking interoperability, as the first level does, but also on confirming a unit's full operational capability.
Successfully completing this stage confirms that the unit can perform combat missions in line with the Allied Command Operations Forces Standards.
The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stressed that obtaining Mission Capable status is a complex, multi-level process that requires significant preparation. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian military sailors have spent three years training, implementing Alliance doctrines, and acquiring the necessary capabilities while operating amid the active phase of the war.
The Navy said the result once again confirms that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Naval Forces, are not only deterring Russian aggression but also continuing their integration into the Euro-Atlantic security architecture at the level of the world's leading fleets.
Background
It was reported earlier that, for the first time in NATO history, the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine led and carried out the planning, coordination, and command of opposing forces, or OPFOR, during the REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 25 exercises in Portugal.
During the exercises, unmanned platforms were integrated into the DELTA combat system used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The integration took place under the new NATO standard STANAG 4817, the testing of which was also one of the key objectives of the exercises. The drills focused on checking interoperability, testing unmanned systems in different conditions, including electronic warfare, and training operators.
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26 of July 2026
