The Road to War in Ukraine — The History of NATO and US Military Exercises With Ukraine — Part 2
The decade of 2000 marked the start of Ukraine becoming a de facto member of NATO. It not only participated in all of the main exercises, but it hosted many. In fact, between 2000 and 2010, Ukraine is ranked in the top six of countries that hosted a NATO or USEUCOM exercise. Ukraine and Georgia, who was ranked number seven, were not NATO members. What the hell? Two non-NATO countries hosted more NATO exercises than 22 of the member nations. This is prima facie evidence that the West, despite warnings from Russia, was intent on making Ukraine and Georgia official members of NATO.
Only two things distinguished Ukraine from NATO members — it did not have a financial obligation to contribute to NATO and it was not covered by Article 5. Other than that, Ukraine was operating as a de facto member of NATO by 2010.
Project Ukraine was not confined to military cooperation alone. US and UK intelligence organizations were actively involved in Ukraine and were coordinating operations and activities with both NATO and EUCOM. The CIA, for example, has intelligence officers assigned to NATO and USEUCOM headquarters. There job is to brief senior leaders on CIA operations and coordinate activities to ensure no wires get crossed. With the benefit of hindsight, it is now clear that during the period between 2000 and 2010, the US government, with collaboration from the UK, was working intently to split Ukraine away from Russia’s sphere of influence and capture it for the West.
Note: My chats with Nima and Judge Napolitano are posted at the end of this article.
2000
Cooperative Partner 2000:
The principal NATO-led military exercise conducted with Ukraine in 2000 was Exercise Cooperative Partner 2000. This exercise took place from 19 June to 1 July 2000 in the Black Sea and the area around Odessa, Ukraine. The exercise involved forces from NATO’s Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED) and the Standing Mine Counter-Measures Force Mediterranean (MCMFORMED), along with participants from ten NATO countries and six partner nations. Russia attended as an observer. The main objective was to train multinational forces to work together for peace support operations, enhancing interoperability and cooperation between NATO and partner countries.
Peace Shield 2000 (May–June 2000)
- Type: Command Post Exercise (CPX) + Field Training
- Participants:
- Ukraine (primary host)
- NATO/PfP: U.S., UK, Germany, Poland, Canada, and others.
- Observed by: Russia (under PfP, despite tensions over NATO-Ukraine cooperation).
- Objectives:
- Train for multinational peacekeeping operations (e.g., Kosovo-style scenarios).
- Improve C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) interoperability.
- Test Ukraine’s ability to integrate with NATO-standard procedures.
- Notable Elements:
Cooperative Determination 2000 (September 2000)
- Type: Maritime/Search-and-Rescue (SAR) Exercise
- Location: Odessa and Black Sea waters
- Participants:
- Naval forces: Ukraine, U.S. (USS Yorktown), Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia.
- USEUCOM provided P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft.
- Objectives:
- Counter-piracy, SAR, and maritime interdiction operations.
- First major Black Sea exercise with Ukraine post-Cold War.
- Political Context:Russia criticized the exercise as “NATO expansionism” but participated as an observer.
- Demonstrated Ukraine’s push for Black Sea security partnerships amid rising regional tensions.
Cossack Steppe 2000 (Summer 2000)
- Type: Bilateral Field Training Exercise (FTX)
- Location: Desna Training Center (Chernihiv Oblast) & other sites
- Participants: Ukrainian Army + U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) advisors.
- Focus:
- Peacekeeping tactics (e.g., convoy security, checkpoint operations).
- Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and combat engineer drills.
- Legacy:
- Part of the U.S.-Ukraine Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP), launched in 1994 to aid Ukraine’s military reform.
- Paved the way for future exercises like Rapid Trident (post-2006).
In 2000, the United States European Command (USEUCOM) executed its first Military Contact Plan with Ukraine, following the transfer of responsibility for U.S. military engagement in Ukraine from the Joint Staff to EUCOM in late 1998. The 2000 plan was developed collaboratively with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and included a variety of military-to-military events, such as planning meetings, medical, legal, and chaplain exchanges, and other cooperative activities. These events were designed to align with spe
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