Romania becomes the 15th member of STRIKFORNATO, the most powerful naval group of the Alliance
Romania in STRIKFORNATO
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Newsroom, 11.01.2024, 14:00
Romania has become the 15th member of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO – STRIKFORNATO, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. The Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces of Romania, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, participated on January 10, at the Headquarters of the Command in Oeiras, Portugal, in the ceremonial raising of the national flag of Romania. He had a bilateral meeting with his Portuguese counterpart, Admiral Henrique Eduardo Passaláqua de Gouveia e Melo, during which they discussed issues related to strengthening cooperation between the Romanian and Portuguese Naval Forces.
The accession to the most powerful naval group of the Alliance is a step that further strengthens the partnership between the Romanian Naval Forces and STRIKFORNATO, said the Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr. He pointed out that, for Romania, the moment is all the more important as this year marks two decades since our country became a member of NATO. The collaboration between the Romanian Naval Forces and STRIKFORNATO started more than a year ago, including by participating with officers in the activities and missions carried out by the Allied Command. STRIKFORNATO encompasses very high strike capabilities such as carrier battle groups, expeditionary groups and strike groups consisting of cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Romania has a relatively small naval force, made up of 45 ships equipped with rather outdated with and worn-out weapon systems. The fleet includes the frigates King Ferdinand, Queen Maria and Mărășești, corvettes, missile-carrying ships, minesweeping ships, auxiliary and logistics ships. However, the Navy compensates for these shortcomings with its quality human resource, the more than 7,000 sailors and soldiers who train exemplarily, irrespective of the conditions.
According to the official website of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, the Black Sea is central to European security and of strategic importance to the Alliance. NATO allies routinely operate in the area in accordance with international law, patrolling the waters to ensure freedom of navigation. If deterrence fails, swift and credible action to demonstrate collective commitment to the security of North Atlantic Treaty Organization territory will be essential to the successful defense of its 1 billion citizens, STRIKFORNATO states.
The command was founded on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed by 13 NATO members: Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Great Britain and the United States of America. They have now been joined by Lithuania and Romania. Since 2012, STRIKFORNATO has been based in the Portuguese city of Oeiras and is led by 3-star United States Navy Admiral Thomas E. Ishee, who is also the commander of the US Sixth Fleet. (MI)
