On Tuesday, 8th September, at the MoND headquarters, State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, and the chief of Land Forces Staff, Major General Iulian Berdila, participated in the ceremony marking 5 years since the establishment of the NATO Force Integration Unit NFIU, a NATO multinational structure founded on Romanian territory.

After reviewing the guard and intonating the national anthem of NATO and Romania, the NFIU Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sorin-Gheorghe Soana offered the former commanders the NFIU Romania plaque. The personnel who activated within the NFIU since its establishment was offered the Land Forces Emblem of Honor.

In his allocution, State Secretary Simona Cojocaru emphasized the essential role played by this structure in the implementation of the Alliance operational plans.

The collective defence and deterrence posture stays essential for the common security, its consolidating being a priority, as NFIU is an important facilitator. The international and Romanian military personnel who cooperate within this structure stand for a declaration of NATO's unity and solidarity. Acting together in this multinational environment is a good opportunity to learn from each other, to increase awareness and understanding of current security environment.

In his turn, the chief of Romanian Land Forces Staff emphasized the fact that the NFIU proved to be a secure bridge between the NATO forces and Romania, who permanently demonstrated that it is able to meet its commitments and missions assigned.


* * *


The establishment of this unit on the Eastern flank of the Alliance was taken at the 2014 Wales Summit when the Rapid Reaction Plan, consisting of a set of collective defene measures, was also approved.

NFIU is a permanent presence of the Alliance of Romanian territory. The coordination of rapid deployment of NATO Rapid Reaction Forces, identification of logistic and transportation requirements and ensuring the connection between the Alliance forces and Romania are part of the missions to be accomplished by this structure.

The multinational footprint of this structure is represented by its soldiers assigned by different 12 contributing countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Great Britain, The United States of America and Romania.

The Press Office