SENTINEL Program Moves into Implementation Phase to Strengthen Ukraine’s Maritime Security
May 13, 2026
On 6 May 2026, the second Steering Committee meeting of the SENTINEL Program took place, marking an important milestone in the ongoing effort to strengthen Ukraine’s maritime security and Maritime Domain Awareness.
Chaired by Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, and co-chaired by Mr. Rolf Holmboe, Head of the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine, Commodore Thomas Andersen from the Maritime International Coalition and Mr. Peter Berg, Deputy Head of NATO representation to Ukraine the meeting brought together representatives of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry for Development of Rual areas and Communities of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, other Ukrainian ministries responsible for maritime security, the NATO Representation to Ukraine, the Maritime Capability Coalition, and EUAM Ukraine.
The main outcome of the meeting was the formal approval of the Concept of Operations for the SENTINEL Program, paving the way for the initiative to move from the development stage into its implementation phase. The program was formally launched at the first Steering Committee meeting in January 2026 and foresees the development of an integrated Maritime Domain Awareness system and the establishment of a Joint Maritime Security Centre to support real-time information sharing, improved situational awareness and coordinated inter-agency response across the maritime domain.
During the meeting, participants reviewed the progress achieved so far and discussed the proposed way ahead for the next six months.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Rolf Holmboe highlighted the completion of the Concept of Operations as an important milestone for Programme SENTINEL and thanked Ukrainian and international partners for their commitment throughout the development phase.
“With the completion of the CONOPS, Programme SENTINEL has reached an important milestone. As we prepare to enter the implementation phase, our focus is on supporting stronger inter-agency cooperation, smoother information-sharing and Ukraine’s alignment with the EU Integrated Border Management framework,” said Mr. Rolf Holmboe, Head of EUAM Ukraine.
The future Joint Maritime Security Centre is expected to enhance cooperation among Ukraine’s maritime actors by supporting a shared understanding of agencies’ duties, responsibilities and operational constraints. It will also contribute to smoother information exchange, stronger risk analysis based on a broader database, and more intelligence-led control of the maritime domain and build the foundation for EURO-Atlantic integration in the maritime security domain.
The initiative will also help strengthen international cooperation in the Black Sea and beyond, with the future centre acting as a point of contact for real-time information exchange with international maritime partners.
