As part of Mission Aigle (Eagle), France has deployed 500 men from the 27th Alpine Hunters Battalion from Annecy to Romania, the 126th Infantry Regiment from Brive-la -Gaillarde, the 4th Hunters Regiment (4th Hunters) from Gap and the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment (93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment) from Varces, as well as support services. Under the leadership of France, they form, with the support of 300 other Belgian soldiers, the spearhead battalion of NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force in South Eastern Europe.
These units took up residence in the Mihail Kogalniceanu base near Constanţa, where they were welcomed by their Romanian counterparts. The Eagle Battalion was deployed with a wide variety of combat equipment, including several armored and unarmoured vehicles, many of which are produced and supported by Arquus.
Among the vehicles deployed in Romania are:
- 43 GVA
- 27 LAVs
- 19 PvP
- Several GBC 180s
- Several VT4s
The deployment of French units and equipment to Romania as part of the NATO Response Force will further increase the level of cooperation between the French and Romanian armies, while strengthening the historical ties that have always united the two countries. . The future deployment of Romanian elements in the Sahel, alongside their French counterparts, also underlines the need for interoperability and mutual training.
As a NATO member country, France is currently taking part in several reassurance and cooperation actions in Northern and Eastern Europe. These measures include international exercises such as Cold Response in Norway or Bold Dragon in Estonia, but also deployments of units and equipment in Estonia and Romania.
