Changes in the French contingent of the NATO Battle Group
Colonel Thierry Denechaud took over the command of the Allied Battle Group in Romania, in a ceremony at the Cincu National Training Center
Radio România Internațional, 29.01.2025, 12:31
Colonel Thierry Denechaud took over the command of the Allied Battle Group in Romania from Colonel Jean Michelin, in a ceremony at the Cincu National Training Center (central Romania). The French forces deployed within the Group also changed, soldiers from the 5th Dragoon Regiment replacing those from the 1st Rifle Regiment. The French soldiers who carried out their mission in Romania “are returning home to their families with a sense of accomplishment after encountering many challenges during the operation”, the French Armed Forces stated.
Last year, the multinational battalion participated in “Dacian Fall,” an exercise that validated the French military’s ability to plan the deployment of a brigade-level tactical command center from France to Romania and its integration into a NATO division. French soldiers from the ninth rotation of the Battle Group also took part in numerous exercises together with their Romanian, Portuguese, Polish and North Macedonian partners. The main challenge this year for the tenth rotation of the French army contingents in the NATO Battle Group is the “Dacian Spring” exercise, which will involve the increase of the forces up to the level of a brigade, i.e. 5,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, the militaries of the countries contributing forces to this Allied Group continue their joint training exercises. The Spanish military recently arrived in Romania participated in “Eagle Thunder”, an exercise with real combat firing. Also them, in partnership with the Belgian soldiers from the Group and the Portuguese soldiers from the South-East Multinational Brigade, carried out the “Eagle Trench” exercise, which aimed to train the troops in urban combat.
In another Battle Group out of the eight that the North Atlantic Alliance has on the eastern flank, the one in Slovakia, the anti-tank detachment that Romania deployed there began its mission. In the Lest Training Center, the Romanian soldiers from the first rotation of the detachment will train in a multinational context until July 2025, together with soldiers from the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. And in Bulgaria, the NATO Battle Group under Italian command includes, starting this month, a research detachment of the Romanian armed forces.
These days, with a view to participating in the multinational exercise “Steadfast Dart 25”, deployments on Romanian soil of military equipment and personnel belonging to the armed forces of the United Kingdom have been announced. The exercise is part of the series of planned training activities at NATO level and has the main goal of strengthening the responsiveness and interoperability of the participating forces. The British units will transit and carry out activities in various areas of Romania, in cooperation with the national forces and those of other allied states deployed here. The military equipment belonging to the French armed forces participating in this exercise will arrive by rail, most likely on February 2.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has stated that NATO exercises such as “Steadfast Dart” are defensive and transparent, being carried out with full respect for Romania’s international obligations. The exercise was planned last year, and for the first time since its establishment on July 1, 2024, the Allied Reaction Force will practice a deployment of troops and military equipment in an operational context. The exercise will demonstrate NATO’s ability to activate the Allied Reaction Force and coordinate its rapid transition. The exercise is taking place in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, with the participation of more than 10,000 soldiers from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. (MI)
