RAMSTEIN, Germany – In April 2025 a joint and combined Flexible Deterrence Option (FDO) was conducted over Romania, to increase and strengthen long term cohesion across the Alliance territories.
Greek F-16 Fighting Falcon, Italian Eurofighter 2000 and Turkish F-16 Fighting Falcon supported by a French tanker participated together with Surfaced-Based Air and Missile Defence system (SBAMD) from France and Romania. The activity was controlled by Romanian Control and Reporting Centre (CRC).
Integrated Air and Missile Defence was set out as a priority for General James Hecker, when he started his tenue as Commander Allied Air Command. The FDO over Romania was tailored to increase Allies interoperability and designed to complement the permanent NATO IAMD system.
Flexible Deterrence Option are conducting to enhance interoperability and multi-domain integration. Photo courtesy of the French Air and Space Force.
The Flexible Deterrence Options over Romania was tailored to increase Allies interoperability. Archived imagery Courtesy of the Hellenic Air Force.
Planning and conducting these kind of event enhance interoperability and multi-domain integration in order to achieve air superiority, which is mandatory. This event has also eased the collaboration between Allied Air and SBAMD units into the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence.
This activity demonstrated how NATO air and ground based units are capable of conducting complex defensive operations. Practicing and exercising ensures that NATO entities work seamlessly together at all times, additionally improves readiness of NATO units and if necessary, ensures that NATO forces are ready to defend NATO territory.
NATO IAMD is a defensive component of the Alliance’s Joint Air Power, which aims to ensure the stability and security of NATO airspace by coordinating, controlling and exploiting the air domain. It is an essential, continuous mission in peacetime, crisis and conflict, conducted using a 360-degree approach across NATO territory, and is prepared to address the full spectrum of threats.