Romanian Naval Forces assume command of the NATO Group in the Mediterranean Sea
A roundup of military news
Vlad Palcu, 26.06.2024, 14:00
An additional three single-command F-16 Fighting Falcon jets of the Royal Dutch Air Forces landed on June 19 at the 86th “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociorniţă” Air Base in Fetești (southeast). The aircraft will serve the Training Center established as a result of the collaboration between the Romanian and Dutch Defense Ministries, in partnership with Lockheed Martin and with the support from Denmark, the coordinator of the F-16 International Coalition alongside the Netherlands.
After nearly 6 months away from home, the 3rd tour of the Military Contingent of the Republic of North Macedonia handed over command. The transfer of authority took place in Caracal (southern Romania), on June 19, 2024, in the presence of representatives of the South-East Multinational Division, the South-East Multinational Brigade and other training structures.
Some 50 multinational representatives from NATO’s command structures participated in the Council meeting charged with planning the training program and military exercises of allied operations, as well as in the Exercise Budget User Group over June 18-20, as part of key training events hosted by the Southeast Multinational Corps Command in Sibiu (center). The purpose of these meetings was to identify resources, synchronize and sequence collective training and exercises.
Also with respect to NATO, the Training, Simulation, Evaluation and War Games Center of the Naval Forces hosted, over June 10-14, the 48th edition of the NATO MAREVAL maritime evaluation course. Organized by the Allied Maritime Command in Constanța (southeast), the course was attended by 22 servicemen, including 4 trainers from Spain and Germany, 10 Romanian servicemen and 8 servicemen from Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Greece and Ukraine. Participants developed their knowledge of NATO standards, criteria and assessment procedures used in the maritime field. At the same time, the participating staff familiarized themselves with planning exercises and evaluation activities, in compliance with NATO standards.
In other news regarding the navy, Romania is taking command of a NATO naval group for six months. The “Vice-Admiral Constantin Bălescu” 274 mine and net sweeper set sail on June 20 from the Constanța Military Port, headed for the Mediterranean Sea to join the permanent NATO mine-fighting naval group. In a military ceremony scheduled for June 28, in Salamis, Greece, the command of the naval group will be taken over by Romania, for the second time in 4 years. The “Vice-Admiral Constantin Bălescu” 274 mine and net sweeper is commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Bogdan Iosif. It has a crew of 85 Romanian and foreign servicemen, and for the next six months it will lead a permanent NATO naval group, including military watercraft from Italy, Spain and Turkey. By participating in this mission, the Romanian Naval Forces contribute to the fulfillment of our country’s commitment to ensuring regional security and strengthening international cooperation with a view to maintaining stability in the Mediterranean. (Constantin Herțanu & VP)
