Anniversary and Combat Colours award ceremony of the 99th Deveselu Military Base

The anniversary and Combat Colours award ceremony of the 99th Deveselu Military Base took place on Friday, April 29, in the presence of State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Daniel Petrescu.

The ceremonies were also attended by David Muniz, chargé d affaires ad-interim of the United States of America to Romania, together with other representatives of the local and county authorities.

In her speech held on the occasion of celebrating 10 years since the establishment of Deveselu Base, State Secretary Simona Cojocaru congratulated the commanders as well as the military and civilian personnel who had dedicated to the building of a valuable and strategic unit for the Romanian Armed Forces over the last ten years.

“99th Deveselu Military Base is a clear example of the solid relation between Romania and the United States of America. The Romanian and American soldiers worked together in order to implement a unique, ambitious and relevant project for the European and Euro-Atlantic security. Romania’s decision of participating in the US Missile Defence Shield, currently integrated into the NATO structures, was a crucial moment of the strategic partnership between our countries and an extremely important stage of the collective defence allied efforts”, the state secretary said.

The Chief of Defence Staff confirmed that the missile defence shield from Deveselu, a symbol project for Romania, USA and NATO, is the result of the abnegation of the Romanian and American soldiers who built, maintained and developed a relevant state-of-art defensive capability. Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System from Europe is a historical breakthrough and a reference element within the series of major accomplishments of the Romanian-USA Partnership. “The evolution of the security environment confirmed, through Russia’s aggression over Ukraine, that the proliferation and use of ballistic missiles can become reality. The missile defence system, which is not a threat for third parties, is a requirement of the allied security architecture”, General Daniel Petrescu stated.

During the ceremony, the Combat Colours of 99th Deveselu Military Base was awarded the “Military Virtue” Order in the Rank of Knight, with th epeace mark for military personnel, a distinction offered through a Decree signed by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday, April 28, “as a sign of appreciation of the results the unit’s personnel in the accomplishment of the specific missions and the contribution brought to the promotion of the Romanian Armed Force’s image”.

The Press Office