Nov 24 2020

NATO update on enhanced Air Policing in Romania

RAMSTEIN, Germany – Journalists from Canada and Romania joined NATO Headquarters, Allied Air Command, the Romanian Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force detachment in a virtual meeting to learn more about NATO Air Policing in the region on the Black Sea.

The virtual press tour took the journalists to the operation providing them with an opportunity to see what NATO does to deliver collective defence in peacetime and to ask the two NATO officers from Romania and Canada about their mission.

The Romanian Air executes the full spectrum of missions and cooperates with all Allies

Romania is an Ally who has its own fighter jets to execute the Air Policing mission. Colonel Daniel Moise, Commander of the MiG-21 Detachment deployed at Mihail Kogalniceau Air Base near Constanța on the Black Sea gave an overview of the Romanian Air Force capabilities and how they support NATO Air Policing.

"The Romanian Air Force operates two fighter types – the MiG-21 and the F-16 to defend our airspace under national arrangements and in cooperation with Combined Air Operation Centre at Torrejón, Spain, in a NATO context," he said. "We conduct the full spectrum of missions and cooperate with all Allies, especially with neighbouring Bulgaria and deployed fighter detachments," he added.

Also currently based at Mihail Kogalniceanu is Lieutenant Colonel David McLeod's CF-188 detachment. The Royal Canadian Air Force deployed here in September to fly Air Policing missions alongside the Romanian

Air Force under the Alliance's assurance measures providing an enhanced Air Policing capability. With this additional capability, NATO has demonstrated its collective resolve to deterrence and defence specifically to the Allies on the eastern flank of the Alliance.

Conducting these NATO assurance measures involves a lot of training with the Romanian Air Force and other Allies in the region

"We are conducting these assurances measures which involves a lot of training with the Romanian Air Force and we've also done some training with the Bulgarian Air Force and other Allies in the region," said Lieutenant Colonel McLeod. "For the fifth time Canada has deployed an Air Task Force and we are here helping to make Central and Eastern Europe more secure and stable," he concluded.

NATO Air Policing is one way the Alliance provides collective security to its members. All Allies contribute this 24/7 enduring peacetime mission which safeguards NATO airspace and ensures the territorial integrity of the airspace.

Story by Allied Air Command Public Affairs Office

Canadian and Romanian journalists joined NATO and the deployed Air Force detachments for an update on the enhanced Air Policing mission at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania. Photo courtesy NATO.

Lieutenant Colonel David McLeod presented a walk-around one of the Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 fighter aircraft executing NATO's enhanced Air Policing alongside the Romanian Air Force. Photo courtesy NATO.

Romanian Air Force Colonel Dan Moise presented how the Romanian MiG-21 (shown in the picture) and  F-16 -fighter jets execute Air Policing under national and NATO arrangements. Photo courtesy NATO.

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Mixed Formation - Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 and Romanian Air Force MiG-21 fighters are conducting training missions and Air Policing sorties alongside each other collectively safeguarding NATO airspace over Romania. Photo courtesy Royal Canadian Air Force.