Radio România Internațional

Tag: command

  • Changing command at the anti-missile defence facility in Deveselu

    Changing command at the anti-missile defence facility in Deveselu

    The new commander of the U.S. Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System Romania, also known as USAAMDSRO, is the US Commanding Officer Robert Foster. He took over the command of the aforementioned facility from Commanding Officer Matthew Iwanczuk, during a change of command ceremony held in Deveselu, southern Romania, sources with the US Sixth Fleet have announced. Iwanczuk took command in September 2023. Commander Foster was born in Tennessee and earned his commission from the United States Naval Academy in 2007. He served as executive officer aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale and most recently served as the staff of Commander, Naval Force Atlantic.

    At the change of command ceremony, Robert Foster said quote, “for the last 75 years, NATO has been a cornerstone of an international order based on rules where diplomacy, not force, is the means of resolving conflicts. Too many would use violence or the threat of violence to coerce others into accepting their demands. We exist so any such strike would be blunted, and in doing so make those considering such action doubt their ability to achieve their aims by violence” unquote.

    USAAMDSRO is under the operational control of the US 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy and is part of the European Phased Adapted Approach (EPAA), which protects NATO Allies and U.S. deployed forces in the region. This land-based missile defence facility is designed to detect, track, engage and destroy ballistic missiles in flight outside the atmosphere.

    NSF Deveselu provides essential support to USAAMDSRO in core mission areas such as safety, security and quality of life and works with the Romanian 99th Military Base to ensure the security and safety of the USAAMDSRO site.

    In another development, the US ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, and the Romanian Defence Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, have visited Airbase 57 in Mihail Kogălniceanu (south-eastern Romania), where they met the US, Romanian, Spanish and French servicemen deployed there and also with part of the military attaches of NATO countries accredited. The two officials showed interest in the stage of the development works of the Mihai Kogalniceanu airbase part of a 2.5 billion euro project unfolding on 20 years. It was ambassador Kavalec’s fourth visit at the aforementioned base and she had several precise objectives.

    «First I came here to meet with the US troops serving here on a rotational basis at this airbase and to see how they are doing. Second to see the progress that is being made as Romania is investing quite a bit of funds to improve this important airbase, which is among the most important in NATO, which helps the eastern flank, the Black Sea area. So, it is very exciting to see the progress that it’s being made in expanding the base and the capabilities not only to serve as a launching pad in airbase but also to house troops, including American troops. Today I had the opportunity to meet with American troops, but also with Spanish, French and Romanian troops. So that is one of the reasons that I am here.  In this particular visit we met with NATO attaches, military attaches who are here, also to get a briefing on the improvements that have been made and the progress in expanding the base and to discuss some of the common challenges that we all face as NATO allies. And finally I am here just to wish and thank all of the Romanians who are making this possible to thank them for the efforts and wish them happy holidays in this season.”

    Roughly 4 thousand US troops are presently serving on a rotational basis at the Airbase 57 in Mihail Kogalniceanu and when the project is finished the base will be able to house nearly 10 thousand troops.

    (bill)

     

  • Romania. The Eastern Flank

    Romania. The Eastern Flank

    A new detachment of French soldiers has arrived in Romania, replacing the one that for 4 months has carried out missions on our country’s territory alongside the allied partners and the Romanian forces.



    Attending the authority transfer ceremony held on Friday, November 3, at the National Combined Training Center in Cincu, the deputy commander of the Multinational Division Southeast Command, Brigadier General Loic Girard, thanked everyone for their efforts and stated that his presence at the ceremony is meant to “highlight once again the level of operationalization of the NATO battle group. It is a multinational battle group made up of military from Belgium, France and Luxembourg. I appreciate the very good and special relationship that we have with the Romanian citizens and especially with the Romanian military with whom we meet in all phases of training and mutual support”.



    One of the objectives this year was to strengthen the artillery and engineer capabilities of the battle group. At the same time, under the coordination of the Multinational Division Southeast Command, ties with the allied forces deployed in Romania were strengthened through a consistent program of missions and exercises.



    At the end of the mandate of the fifth rotation, Colonel Philippe le Duc stated that he had achieved all his objectives, the biggest challenge being “the mountain range and the passes of the Carpathians which are a very important tactical point. Of course, we had to train and highlight the interoperability between the two armed forces of the NATO alliance”.



    Set up in May 2022 by transforming the allied multinational elements within the NATO Response Force deployed in our country, the NATO Battle Group is currently sized at the level of a battalion, but is designed to expand, if necessary, at the level of brigade. Established as a NATO allied defense and deterrence military force, deployed to protect and ensure security in the states closest to Russia, this formation deployed at the National Combined Training Center in Cincu has approximately 1,500 soldiers. The number of deployed forces will increase by 230 Spanish soldiers, their presence being announced by the Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the defense ministers of the European Union member states.



    France is the framework nation that leads the battle group on the territory of Romania as it contributes to the greatest extent both troops and in terms of technical equipment, the spearhead of this structure being the 13 Leclerc tanks as well as the M270 multiple launch missile system.



    An exercise with multinational participation that has taken place these days at the National Combined Training Center is Black Scorpions, which involved more than 450 soldiers from the 20th Infantry Battalion “Black Scorpions” as well as allied soldiers from North Macedonia, Poland and Portugal, with over 60 technical combat equipment. The training was aimed at increasing the cohesion of the training structures through field training exercises and tactical exercises with combat firing.



    In the context of the centennial anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, the Institute for Political Studies of Defense and Military History together with the “Fatih” Institute of Military History in Istanbul organized a symposium at the Palace of the National Military Circle. One of the states contributing personnel to the forces of NATOs Multinational Division Southeast Command in Sibiu is Turkey, its presence also being noted at sea during the exercises, the last exercise being the one carried out together with the frigate Queen Marie, dedicated to the National Day of Turkey.



    We remain in the Black Sea area to announce the visit, to the Fleet Command, of the commander of the South-East Europe Brigade, Brigadier General Bilbil Bitri, the work agenda including topics related to the security situation in the Black Sea region. (Teodora Mazere, tr. LS)

  • July 23, 2020

    July 23, 2020

    COVID-19 The large number of new coronavirus infections over the past few days in Romania prompted authorities to raise the alarm about the healthcare situation. The National Public Health Institute urges citizens to observe basic protection rules, including proper face covering and physical distancing, along with strict hand hygiene. On Thursday the Strategic Communication Group reported a record-high rate of COVID-19 infection in 24 hours, 1.112 new cases out of over 20,000 tests. The total number of cases in 5 months has exceeded 40,000. Over 5,500 patients are hospitalised, with nearly 300 in intensive care. Authorities also reported 25 new deaths, bringing the total death toll to over 2,126.



    NATO The Cincu Training Centre in central Romania is today hosting a ceremony devoted to the establishment of NATOs Headquarters Multinational Division South-East. Attending the event are president Klaus Iohannis, defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, and chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Daniel Petrescu. A drill involving nearly 1,000 troops and 200 vehicles will follow the ceremony. The exercise is designed to improve the integration and performance of complex military actions. The NATO Headquarters Multinational Division South-East has been set up in order to coordinate the structures deployed in this region, security strategy expert Alexandru Grumaz explained for Radio Romania. Over 400 high-ranking officers from various NATO member countries will work in Sibiu starting this autumn. With the establishment of the headquarters, NATOs entire south-east European flank will be coordinated from Sibiu, retired general Alexandru Grumaz said.



    ECONOMY Accessing European funds was the key topic of Wednesday nights Government meeting in Bucharest, which focused on legislation facilitating the countrys economic recovery. The Cabinet also discussed options to grant non-reimbursable loans to SMEs and entrepreneurs, both for investments and working capital. Funds will also be granted to limited liability companies without employees, to self-employed professionals, cultural NGOs and to family physicians who treated COVID-19 patients. Another bill concerns the provision of funds for SMEs to lease equipment and tools. The 80 billion euros earmarked by the EU for Romania will be spent for national reconstruction, president Klaus Iohannis said prior to the Cabinet meeting, after a discussion with PM Ludovic Orban. The money will come from 2 sources, the EU 2021-2027 multiannual budget and the post-COVID-19 recovery fund. The first source will cover ongoing projects, and the money will be accessed under a national plan which is virtually ready, the head of state explained. The EU economic recovery plan provides access to 34 billion euros for Romania, especially in non-reimbursable funds and also in low-interest loans.



    EU The European Parliament convenes today in a special session devoted to the multiannual budget and the economic recovery plan, endorsed on Tuesday by the EU leaders. Attending the session will be the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Council president Charles Michel. Political groups in the EP have agreed on a resolution to be adopted by Parliament. MEPs will ask for clarifications regarding the connection between accessing EU funds and the rule of law, after this issue was left unanswered by the EU leaders at this weeks summit, the EP president David Sassoli said on Wednesday, quoted by Reuters. He added that the multiannual budget must be able to cover the main challenges facing Europe in the medium run, such as the green deal, digitisation, economic vulnerabilities and fighting inequities. Previously, EU leaders agreed on setting up a European recovery fund worth 750 billion euros and on the Unions budget for 2021-2027, amounting to 1,074 billion euro, but their official statement includes no reference to making access to funds conditional on observing the rule of law.



    FOOTBALL The Bucharest-based club FCSB last night won the Romanian Football Cup, after defeating Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe 1-0 on neutral ground in Ploieşti. FCSB thus booked its place in the Europa League qualifiers, alongside another Romanian team, FC Botosani. The national football championship is also drawing to an end, after being suspended in March over the coronavirus pandemic and resumed last months. Topping the charts is CSU Craiova, followed by defending champions CFR Cluj. All football matches in Romania are played without public access. (translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)

  • March 12, 2018 UPDATE

    March 12, 2018 UPDATE

    HEALTHCARE – The Romanian Healthcare Minister, Sorina Pintea, said on Monday there are no reasons for a strike, given that incomes in the public healthcare sector did not drop. The statement comes after trade unions in the sector announced a protest going as far as to an all-out strike. Healthcare employees are unhappy with the new pay scheme and ask for a 25% increase in basic salaries concurrently with the scrapping of the 30% ceiling on bonuses. In other news, Healthcare Minister Sorina Pintea announced that within 2 weeks Romania would receive 10,000 doses of immunoglobulin, with further doses expected from Italy and the USA. Bucharest has recently asked for aid from EU and NATO countries to solve the immunoglobulin crisis triggered by last years withdrawal from the Romanian market of the producers that had covered over 80% of the demand. Romania needs 956 kilos of immunoglobulin per year.





    PENITENTIARY – The number of prisoners in Romanian penitentiaries is around 22,900, while the system employs some 12,800 special civil servants, the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader told a press conference on Monday. He added that the number of prisoners is decreasing, and so is the number of repeat offenders. However, Bucharest should not wait for the issue of penitentiary overcrowding to get solved through a natural decrease in the number of people sentenced to prison. According to Tudorel Toader, Romania will build 2 new, modern penitentiaries with a capacity of 1,000 prisoners each, and an initial and continuing training centre for penitentiary staff will be set up in Bucharest.




    DIPLOMACY – The 3-party meeting organised in Bucharest on Monday and bringing together the foreign ministers of Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, was an opportunity to reaffirm commitment to strengthening the European project, the Romanian FM Teodor Melescanu said. According to the Romanian official, talks have focused on relevant topics, such as the Western Balkans, the Eastern Neighbourhood, the Black Sea region, the Danube region and the Middle East. In turn, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Ekaterina Zakharieva, has expressed hopes for Romanias and Bulgarias Schengen accession, a goal supported by Greece, according to its Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias. On the other hand, Minister Teodor Melescanu has announced a 4-party meeting in the forthcoming period, with government officials from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Serbia taking part. Also this year, a joint Romanian-Bulgarian government meeting will be held, to discuss primarily the interconnection options for the 2 countries.




    DEFENCE – The defence ministers of the Bucharest 9 member countries convened in the Romanian capital city on Monday. For 3 days, officials from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as NATO representatives and US State Department officials will be talking about boosting NATOs defence and deterrence posture, particularly on the eastern flank. Other topics include the adjustment of NATOs command structure, the risks and threats coming from the Alliances eastern neighbourhood as well as means to strengthen resilience on the Baltic Sea – Black Sea axis. Romania offered to host a new NATO command centre, but a decision will be made at the Alliances summit due in July in Brussels.





    EXERCISE – Nearly 900 Romanian and foreign troops are taking part between March 12 and 23, in DACIAN LANCER 18, a multinational military exercise held in Brasov County, central Romania. The exercise is designed to help assess the Multinational Division Southeast Headquarters in Bucharest. An element of the NATO Force Command structure, the headquarters in Bucharest is a high-readiness command activated in December 2015, and is staffed by military personnel from Romania and 15 other NATO member countries.





    MOLDOVA – The 2 largest cities in the Republic of Moldova, the capital Chisinau and the northern city of Balti, will be having early local elections on May 20, under a resolution made by the Central Electoral Commission on Monday. This is seen as a test for this autumns parliamentary election. The mayors of Chisinau and Balti resigned in February. The pro-Russian populist mayor of Balti, Renato Usatyi, has been in Russia for more than a year, and is currently prosecuted in a case involving the murder of a businessman. In Chisinau, the Liberal, pro-Western mayor Dorin Chirtoaca is in turn subject to corruption accusations in a criminal investigation, and was suspended from office in the summer of 2017.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)