Handing over responsibility to the next rotation, within NATO
The partnership between the Romanian and Portuguese militaries, consolidated by the deployment of contingents in Romania starting in 2021, is a basic pillar of the Eastern Flank‘s security and clear proof of allied solidarity.
Agenția Media a Armatei, 21.01.2026, 14:00
Portuguese soldiers, members of the 8th contingent deployed in Romania, took over the mission from their colleagues. The partnership between the Romanian and Portuguese militaries, consolidated by the deployment of the contingents in Romania starting in 2021, is a basic pillar of the Eastern Flank‘s security and a clear proof of allied solidarity. Apart from the strategic objectives of deterrence and defense, this cooperation is a profound process of professional and human transformation for each soldier involved. The first meeting of Major Luis Silva, commander of the 7th Portuguese rotation, with the soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Battalion in Caracal (southern Romania) took place five years ago, before the invasion of Ukraine, and the experience from that time was an asset in carrying out the missions received in July 2025, upon taking over the mandate.
Joint action planning, conducting operations in a multinational environment, and daily training with Romanian and North Macedonian partners, in all weather conditions, are the moments that give you professional satisfaction, says Major Silva: “On this mission, we worked with the French-led Land Forces Battle Group, which is located in Cincu (central Romania). We collaborated with them, but also with military from Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain. This gave us many more opportunities to conduct exercises. The most interesting parts were the joint planning in a multinational environment and the opportunity to conduct the large live ammunition exercise ‘Dacian Fall 25’, in which the aviation and all the countries in the battle group participated, as well as the multinational division. It was a special experience.”
Participating in an international mission accelerates professional growing. For Romanian and Portuguese soldiers alike, the multinational environment forces them to step out of their comfort zone. The continuous interaction over almost 200 days creates friendships between Portuguese and Romanian soldiers. “We are Latin and we have more in common than we initially thought. We have similar traditions, for example, Romanian traditional dances resemble those of Portugal. Also, the food is similar and we have approximately 5,000 common words in our vocabulary. Even in writing, many words are similar, as are the phonetics. If we speak slowly, we can understand each other quite well”, Major Silva said.
During the six months, the Portuguese soldiers were not spared from the scorching sun of July, nor from the cold and piercing autumn rain in the Cincu polygon. The biggest surprise came on the last hundred meters of the mission: a fairy-tale Christmas, with snow, followed by a frosty period, with negative temperatures, even during the day. Such an experience is a validation of the ability to operate in any theater, in any weather conditions.
Discipline, rigorous planning and cohesion are lessons that are applied in everyday life, allowing for the management of crises calmly and the capitalization of the team’s strength, something also supported by the commander of a group: “It was easier and faster to focus on the main task, which consisted of training and developing my group to be more efficient. Both I and some of the military under my command have previous experience in Romania, so we were able to focus on the tasks we had, without going through the stage of adjustment and familiarization with the place. We focused on what we had to do, and this made the process efficient.”
The hardest mission in the life of any soldier is being away from one’s family. Camaraderie creates bonds that last a lifetime, regardless of nationality. (EE)
