FETESTI, Romania - In a ceremony at Borcea Air Base, Romania, on December 5, the Turkish F-16 fighter detachment was officially declared mission-ready to conduct enhanced Air Policing over NATO territory along the Black Sea shores firmly embedded in the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System.
NATINAMDS is an essential and continuous mission in peacetime, crisis and conflict, protecting Alliance territory, populations and forces against threats from the air
"Let me stress that NATINAMDS is an essential and continuous mission in peacetime, crisis and conflict, safeguarding and protecting Alliance territory, populations and forces against any air or missile threat or attack," said Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez De Lara, Commander of NATO’s southern Combined Air Operations Centre at Torrejón, Spain, pointing out that all NATO members are contributing to this system which has become a vital element of Deterrence and Defence and contributes to indivisible cohesion, security and freedom of action.
He then handed over the mission-ready certificate to the Turkish F-16 detachment commander Colonel Sedat Kuçaslan. “I convey my warmest appreciation and gratitude to both air forces from Romania and Türkiye for this high level of commitment that will allow this enhanced Air Policing mission to happen from here during the next four months,” he concluded.
The F-16s from Türkiye will safeguard Romanian air space along the Black Sea shores together with Romanian F-16s ensuring NATO Deterrence and Defence on the eastern flank.
Photo courtesy Turkish Air Force.
Distinguished visitors in front of Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet at Borcea Air Base, where - on December 5 - the Turkish detachment was declared mission ready for NATO enhanced Air Policing.
Photo by Bogdan Pantilimon.
Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sanchez De Lara, Commander of NATO’s CAOC Torrejón hands over the mission ready certificate to Turkish F-16 detachment commander Colonel Sedat Kuçaslan.
Photo by Bogdan Pantilimon.
Romania employs F-16 fighter jets to safeguard its airspace. Under enhanced Air Policing Allies deploy additional air and ground assets to complement the NATO posture on the Black Sea.
Photo by Bogdan Pantilimon.
The ceremony was attended the Ambassador of Türkiye in Romania, Özgür Kıvanç Altan and the Turkish Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Major General Kemal Turan. Romania was represented by Mrs Simona Cojocaru, Romanian State Secretary and Head of the Department for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations of the Ministry of National Defence, General Gheorghiță Vlad, Romanian Chief of Defence and Major General Leonard-Gabriel Baraboi, Acting Chief of the Romanian Air Force Staff.
Romania has been hosting Allied fighter detachments since 2014, when NATO’s assurance measures after Russia’s invasion of Crimea introduced enhanced Air Policing to demonstrate Alliance presence and commitment along the eastern flank. The Romanian Air Force has since regularly been flying Air Policing missions with the deployed detachments and ensured the legitimate mission of providing collective defence under the NATO banner.
Besides the Turkish F-16s deployed at Borcea Air Base, German Eurofighters are presently stationed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanța, and a French surface-based air and missile defence MAMBA system is operating out of Capu Midia. Combined with Romanian fighter jets this posture continues to showcase the integration and cohesion of Allied contributions to NATINAMDS preserving territorial integrity and promote peace and security for the members of the NATO Alliance.