Over 1,700 Romanian and foreign troops from five allied or partner states will participate as of Monday in Spring Storm 18, the first major multinational military exercise of this year organized by the Romanian Navy in the eastern region of Dobrogea and the Black Sea international waters.
Spring Storm 18, scheduled between March 5 – 15, will see the participation of more than 1,700 troops, 14 ships, four aircraft and landing craft and is based on a unique concept of joint training of the sea, air and land forces, with emphasis on allied amphibious operation sequences as well as on sea mine battle sequences in a landing area, the Romanian Navy General Staff (SMFN) said in a release.
“The Romanian Navy participates with frigate ‘Regele Ferdinand’, the ‘Vice-Admiral Eugeniu Rosca’ corvette, the ‘Pescarusul’ missile ship, the ‘Lascar Catargiu’ monitor, the ‘Opanez’ armored fast patrol boat, the ‘Grigore Antipa’ diving support ship, the ‘Alexandru Catuneanu’ hydrographic survey vessel, a marine infantry company, a military dive battalion, the ‘Viteazul’ maritime tugboat and two harbor tugs, while the Coast Guard contributes with a patrol ship,” the release informs.
Two Mig-21 Lancers, a IAR-330 helicopter and a Spartan C-27 J aircraft of the Romanian Air Force will perform the air sequences of the drill, and the Romanian Land Forces participate with an infantry platoon of the 9th Motorised Brigade.
The Romanian troops will train at the side of Bulgarian, French, Georgian, US and Ukrainian peers; the American partners participate with the dock-landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), a marine infantry company and the support vessel USNS Carson City.
The French Navy joins in with the Jean Bart frigate (D-615), Georgia, Bulgaria and Ukraine each participate with staff officers and a team specializing in the fight against explosive devices.
According to the Romanian Navy General Staff, the scenario of the exercise puts together elements of a collective defence operation, as enshrined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, and the tactical framework consists of an amphibious raid conducted against a hybrid threat employing conventional and paramilitary forces.
The war games will see tactical elements specific to urban warfare, as well as standard operating procedures for the annihilation of a hostile military group by a disembarkment mission.
Spring Storm 18 is a multinational exercise planned, organized and led by the SMFN Naval Operational Component and is part of NATO’s immediate assurance plan adopted at the NATO Summit in Warsaw in 2016.
French Embassy: The Jean Bart frigate to stop over in Constanta Port
The French Jean Bart frigate will stop over in the Romanian port of Constanta, March 7 -10, before taking part in a military exercise in Romania’s Black Sea territorial waters alongside the Romanian Navy, the French Embassy announced last Wednesday in a press statement.
The Jean Bart frigate is a class F 70 AA one specialising in anti-aircraft combat operations in aeronautical and maritime crisis management operations, being capable of carrying out missions in any area as part of a NATO or other international naval group. The ship is equipped with a Panther helicopter.
“The stopover and the exercise take place after the ones conducted by the French frigates Chevalier Paul in July 2017 and Guepratte in December 2017. The French Military Navy treasures cooperation with the Romanian Navy in the Black Sea and is proud to be one of Europe’s most present navies in this area,” French ambassador to Bucharest Michele Ramis is quoted as saying in the statement.
After that, the Jean Bart will participate in a joint exercise with the Romanian naval and air forces, which will allow the development of the mutual knowledge and interoperability of the two navies.
On Wednesday, March 7, a press conference will be held on board the French frigate, to be attended by Michele Ramis and Captain Geoffroy Roussel.
Ramis also tour the Naval Shipyard in Constanta, which, in partnership with the French Naval Group, will build for Romania highly performing ships.
On Thursday, March 8, a delegation of the frigate will take part in a discussion with representatives of the Jean Bart Primary School of Constanta.
Captain Geoffroy Roussel has been the commander of the Jean Bart frigate since 2016. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1992. During his career, he has held several positions in metropolitan France and overseas territories, including the officer in charge with operations aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. He participated in Operation Enduring Freedom. Between 2013 and 2014, he was commander of the frigate Aconit, which he used in the French attack operations in Syria and carried out missions in the Persian Gulf. For his merits, Captain Roussel has been made Knight of the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit.