The chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Mark A. Milley, as part of the visit he paid to the United States of America, over 12th-18th July.

Also, the Romanian official had meetings with the Chief of the US Army General James C. McConville, the chief of the US Navy, Admiral Michael Gilday, the Deputy Chief of US Air Force, General David W. Allvin, the chief of the US National Guard, General Daniel R. Hokanson, and the Deputy Chief of Allied Command Transformation (ACT), General Paolo Ruggiero.

During his visit in the USA, the chief of Defence Staff participated in the ceremony that marked the achievement of the Full Operational Capability of JFC Norfolk and had talks with representatives of certain important defence assessment groups.

The officials emphasized the importance of the evolution of security environment in the Black Sea region, assessed the efficiency of the deterrence activities taken by NATO and at bilateral level, as well as the degree of interoperability and rapid rendering operational of the armament system procured by the Romanian Armed Forces. At the same time, the meetings facilitated the identification of ways to increase cooperation.

The talks with the leadership team of the ACT tackled the development of the allied capabilities, the strategic approach of the security situation and the planning of the joint training activities. At the Norfolk ceremony, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu congratulated Admiral Andrew Lewis, the JFC Commander, on the efficiency with which the C2 capability was built, as part of the Alliance adaptation process. The capability was initiated at the 2018 NATO Defence Ministers' Meeting.

Another stage of the visit made to the Unites States of America consisted in meetings with representatives of the "Center for European Policy Analysis", "Atlantic Council" and "The Heritage Foundation" Institutes which can influence the US policies, including in the Black Sea region, through the links they promote.

The CHOD's visit is part of the actions of consolidating defence cooperation with the USA. The solid and dynamic collaboration relations between the Romanian and American soldiers represent a vital component of the Strategic Component, which aims at consolidating Romania's security and promoting our country as a stability vector in South-Eastern Europe.

The Press Office