The signing ceremony of the Mutual Declaration on Romania`s integration into NATO and the end of the assistance offered by Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples took place on Wednesday, September 28 , at the Ministry of National Defense location.

The mutual declaration was signed by lieutenant general Stefan Danila, the Chief of General Staff, and admiral Samuel J. Locklear, Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples.

Admiral Locklear emphasized the fact that the Romanian Armed Force`s achievements as part of the NATO accession and integration program were fully recognized and valued by the North-Atlantic community.
'You have demonstrated the requisite operational capabilities necessary for inclusion in the NATO Force Structure and Integrated Air Defense System. Throughout the accession process, Romania has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the future of the Alliance. Romanian soldiers serve with distinction in KFOR. Your deployed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have proven themselves repeatedly in combat and harsh conditions. ', the commander of JFC Naples said.

'Your forces are well-trained, well-led, and highly capable. NATO is very pleased with the progress they have made in the integration process. Their ability to operate in the modern security environment is an impressive achievement. ', admiral Samuel J. Locklear pointed out.

Lieutenant general Stefan Danila has thanked the NATO official for the support given to the Romanian Armed Force in facilitating the meeting of the necessary criteria in view of a proper qualification and has made a retrospective of the Romanian military process for its accession and integration into NATO. 'We had to train new generations of military leaders, to restructure the military education system as well as the unit training programs in order to generate military personnel adequately qualified to achieve our goal in creating modern armed forces that are well trained, well endowed and capable of facing the various challenges within the modern combat environment. ', the Chief of General Staff explained.

'The human resources training was concurrent with a reform at all the structural levels of the Romanian Armed Forces that aimed at establishing strong flexible structures that meet all the requirements of the modern combat environment and are capable of accomplishing their missions in accordance with NATO standards. The value of our efforts in meeting our assumed goals during this complex reform process - well appreciated by our NATO partners - is reflected in the excellent results that our military obtained while deployed in various theatres of operations, where Romania was actively involved. ', lieutenant general Stefan Danila emphasized.

The Romanian Armed Force`s long-term transformation process started in 1994, when Romania joined the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Program. In 2004, concurrently with Romania`s accession to NATO and initiation of our armed force`s official integration process, the Romanian military reform process entered a new stage by benefiting from the direct assistance offered by JFC Naples, the NATO designated structure for integration.

MoND Press Office