NATO further strengthens defensive presence on eastern flank amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and its threats to European security.
A second convoy of French military hardware consisting of a company of Leclerc tanks has arrived in Braşov county, in central Romania. This forms part of the ten military convoys promised by France to Romania and is intended to consolidate NATO’s eastern flank. The Leclerc tank is considered to be extremely effective in ground combat and can strike targets 4,000 away. It is named after a famous French general and is one of the most expensive in the world, being evaluated at almost 10 million euros.
According to a statement from the defence ministry in Bucharest, the military equipment that arrived in Romania in recent days will complement the technical resources of NATO’s Battle Group Forward Presence at the military base in Cincu, in Brașov county. The first convoy, consisting of armoured vehicles, arrived in Romania on 23rd October. France said it would send almost 150 combat vehicles with complete equipment and ammunition to Cincu. The defence ministry also notes in its statement that the NATO battle group was established, beginning in May this year, by the transformation of the allied and multinational elements within the NATO Response Force deployed to Romania. At France’s proposal to take over the role of framework nation, the French battalion deployed to Romania and which is considered the spearhead of NATO’s Very High Reaction Force, forms the NATO battle group in Romania, also incorporating Belgian and Dutch troops. The group contributes to boosting military cooperation between Romania and France and, implicitly, to consolidating the security of the NATO eastern flank. Cooperation with strategic partners and the existence on the national territory of relevant combat structures help enhance the defence and deterrence capacity in the context of the war in the neighbouring Ukraine and the crisis in the Black Sea region, the Romanian defence ministry also said in its statement.
The French minister of the armed forces Sébastien Lecornu travelled to Romania at the beginning of the month and held talks with the authorities about further consolidating the allied presence in Romania. Together with the Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr, Lecornu inaugurated the headquarters of the Collective Defence Battle Group in Cincu. Last week, president Klaus Iohannis had talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum about the security situation on the eastern flank. Iohannis again conveyed his appreciation for the participation of the French troops in the NATO multinational force in Romania as part of France’s role as a framework nation and for France’s decision to enhance this contribution.
(Daniela Budu, Radio Romania International)
