Poseidon 2017 Naval Exercise

NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two passing through Istanbul before taking part in Poseidon 2017.

Mine warfare exercise Poseidon, hosted by Romania is continuing in Black Sea

The exercise has started on 5 March 2016 and will end on 15 March 2017. Exercise Poseidon began in 2015 as a bilateral Romanian-Bulgarian naval exercise. The host for the exercise alternates each year between Romania and Bulgaria. NATO Standing Groups regularly participate in exercises in the Black Sea to support interoperability, practice NATO standard procedures, tactics and techniques with Allied nations bordering the Black Sea.

The main aim of the exercise is to promote mutual understanding, confidence, interoperability and defense cooperation among participating nations.

Furthermore, the exercise intents:

• To enhance operational capabilities and readiness of all participants;
• To exercise NATO maritime warfare procedures and tactics in a joint interagency, multinational environment;
• To exercise NATO maritime procedures for command, control and communications;
• To exercise NATO Rules of Engagement (NATO ROE – MC 362);
• To enhance the CIMIC and interagency cooperation in multi-threat environment;
• To practice standard operational procedures, communications, and support to maritime forces taking part in Crisis Response Operation (CRO)
• To improve the operational and tactical interoperability between participating MW, ASW ships and EOD team.

Over 1500 troops and following ships are taking part in the exercise: