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More than 750 troops from nine countries will participate July 14 through 21 in the Poseidon 2023 multinational exercise, organized alternatively every year by Romania and Bulgaria, the General Staff of the Romanian Naval Forces (SMFN) informs. According to the cited source, the activities will take place in the Constanta Military Port and in the training areas in the western side of the Black Sea.
"More than 750 troops of the Romanian Navy, other structures of the national defense system, as well as from Bulgaria, Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Great Britain, the United States of America (NAVEUR, Alabama National Guard) and Turkey will carry out between July 14 - 21 joint activities in the Constanta Military Port and in the training areas in the western side of the Black Sea, as part of the multinational tactical exercise Poseidon 2023, which is organized every year, alternatively, by Romania and Bulgaria," the cited source said.
The main goals of Poseidon 2023 are to increase the level of interoperability among the participating structures, as well as to assess and certify the Romanian Navy's capabilities for NATO and EU missions and for national defense activities, states the SMFN.
During the exercise, the Romanian Navy will carry out the specific assessment and verification activities of the 'Regina Maria' F-222 frigate for NATO's Response Force - NRF 23 and the single force package placed by Romania at the disposal of NATO and EU.
The forces and vessels that will participate in the Poseidon 2023 exercise are frigate 'Regina Maria' (F-222), minelayer 'Vice-Admiral Constantin Balescu' (274), the 'Slt. Alexandru Axente' maritime minesweeper (DM-30), the 'Admiral Petre Barbuneanu' corvette (260), the 585th CBRN Defense Company, the 'Grozavul' maritime salvage and intervention diver-manned tugboat (102) and two Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachments specializing in the fight against explosive devices, two maritime harbor tugboats, as well as joint assessment teams from the Joint Forces Command and the Navy Training, Simulation, Evaluation and War Games Center.
The Romanian Air Force will participate with IAR-99 Soim and IAR-330 Puma aircraft, and the Romanian Land Forces will join with an infantry platoon. Participating on the part of the Bulgarian Navy are the tripartite minehunter TSIBAR (32) and minesweeper SHKVAL (62), France participates with a patrol aircraft and a team of EOD experts, and Belgium and the US - with underwater drones and an EOD team. The other states participating in Poseidon 2023 are present with staff officers and EOD detachments.
The 'Vice Admiral Ioan Georgescu' Navy Component Command, the 'Pontica' Navy Logistics Base, the 338th Navy Maintenance and Technical Center, the 110th Communications and IT Center 'Engineer Vice-Admiral Grigore Martes' and the 'Ovidius' Navy Support Group participate in the exercise with support structures.
Poseidon 2023 is led by the 'Vice-Admiral Vasile Urseanu' Fleet Command, and provides for complex training sequences at sea (naval communications, maneuvering and steering drills, towing, transfer of light materials, fending off enemy aviation attacks, maintaining the vitality of the ships), with a particular focus on mine warfare.
The opening of the Poseidon 2023 multinational exercise will take place on Saturday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m., at the Passenger Terminal in the port of Constanta. AGERPRES
