More than 1,500 troops will participate in the Poseidon 2017 multinational military drill to be organized in the Romanian and international waters of the Black Sea from March 5 to March 13.

Moreover, 17 military ships will also take part in the exercise, as well as a Puma Naval helicopter, two fast boats for divers, two MiG 21 LanceR aircraft, and a Coast Guard vessel, according to a statement from the Romanian Naval Forces.

This will be the second multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Naval Forces this year.

At the end of January, the Romanian Naval Forces announced that the Romanian troops would participate in over 50 military exercises this year, both on Romanian territory and abroad. Six of these drills are planned and led by the Romanian Naval Forces, and 35 are multinational exercises organized by other military structures in Romania and by partners in NATO.

In early-February, some 2,800 troops from Romania, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, Spain, the U.S., Turkey, and Ukraine took part in the Sea Shield 17 multinational exercise in the Black Sea.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com