Soldiers of the Romanian Naval and Air Forces conducted joint training missions together with the US Naval Forces military personnel, on Friday, 5th February.

Marasesti Frigate of the Naval Forces Staff and five aerial means of the Air Force Staff, respectively four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft belonging to the 86th Air Base Locotenent aviator Gheorghe Mociornita and an IAR-330 Puma L-RM helicopter of the 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, acted alongside USS Porter Destroyer and USNS Laramie Underway Replenishment Oiler of the US Military Navy, in order to demonstrate the interoperability between the Romanian and American soldiers.

This was the first Romanian-American joint training activity conducted this year in the naval forces field with the goal of strengthening the North-Atlantic Alliance reassurance measures in South-Eastern Europe, as well as the increase of interoperability level, once again demonstrating the USA involvement in ensuring security in the Black Sea Region.

Marasesti Frigate is the flag-ship of the Romanian Naval Forces' rapid response maritime package of forces, a structure which ensures the Romanian Armed Forces' immediate response capacity and the maritime space management of our country by means of a rapid deployment of the ships, aircraft and other specialized structures in the maritime districts.

The aerial sequence of the exercise was coordinated by the Main Operational Component of the Air Force and consisted in ADEX-type exercises (air defence exercises) conducted with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the 86th Air Base Borcea.

The Strategic Partnership with the USA is one of Romania's defence and security pillars. In an ever-changing security environment, like the one existing in the Black Sea Region, cooperation between the Romanian Armed Forces and the US Forces deployed in Europe contributes to the consolidation of the ability to respond, in an rapid and efficient manner, to a wide range of threats against the social security of the North-Atlantic Alliance Eastern Flank.

The successful conduct of the joint training exercise proved that the Allied involved forces are fully prepared to perform their missions in all fields, demonstrating involvement and interoperability in the context of the challenges posed by the COVID -19 pandemics.

The Press Office