Mission Aigle

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Mission Aigle
Mission Aigle
Mission Aigle badge.svg
Badge of Mission Aigle
Active28 February 2022 – present
Allegiance NATO
Type Army
Sizec. 1,100
Part of NATO Enhanced Forward Presence

The Mission Aigle is a French-led military mission deployed to Romania following the activation of the Graduated Response Plans by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe as a response to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following this decision, France sent troops to Romania on 28 February 2022 in order to strengthen the Alliance's deterrent and defensive posture against Russia. [1]

Contents

History

French Leclerc tank and Romanian Piranha V at the Cincu military camp Premiers tirs des chars Leclerc lors de l'exercice EAGLE ZORI.jpg
French Leclerc tank and Romanian Piranha V at the Cincu military camp

On 28 February 2022, France deployed a spearhead battalion of the rapid response force to Romania. [1] On 1 May 2022, the multinational battalion constituted the Battle Group Forward Presence (BGFP) in Romania, with France as the lead nation. [2] For the first time, France assumed the role of leading nation in a NATO reassurance mission. [3] The BGFP is a multinational battalion tasked with reinforcing the operational capabilities of the deployed troops. [2] Currently, the Multinational Battlegroup is under the command of the Multinational Division South-East based in Bucharest. [4]

To house the battlegroup, a new military base was constructed in Cincu. The base consists of hangars, ammunition depots, as well as, auxiliary buildings for civilian purposes. The military town was constructed by a multinational detachment of engineers, and the costs were covered by France and Romania with construction materials acquired from Romania. [5] It was reported in November that the French soldiers were living in "deplorable" conditions with insufficient food, poor hygiene, and bad heating. [6] These reports were dismissed by the French embassy in Romania as no formal complaints regarding the conditions at the base were received. While living conditions were rudimentary during the construction works, these improved significantly once the base was completed. [7] The soldiers have access to hot water, electricity, internet connection and live in small heated rooms in groups of three or four. [8]

On 18 October, French Leclercs of the 7th Armored Brigade departed for Romania. [9] The tanks arrived in Voila on 16 November. [10] On 6 December, the tanks took part in the first live fire exercise at Cincu during exercise Eagle Zori. [11]

In 2025, the Multinational Battlegroup will increase its size to a brigade level. The number of soldiers will reach 4,000 with the brigade being ready for the Dacian Spring exercise, around May 2025. [12]

Name and symbol

Aigle means "Eagle" in French. It was chosen as a reference to the Romanian coat of arms. The four flags illustrate the engagement of forces from France, Belgium and the Netherlands in support of Romania. [13]

Strength

MAMBA system in Romania 2022 MAMBA Aigle.jpg
MAMBA system in Romania

As of July 2023, the multinational force in Romania is made up of more than 1000 soldiers, organized in the following units: [4]

Participating in the mission are forces from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. [13] From 21 March 2023, Luxembourg also joined the Aigle mission. [14]

Multinational Battlegroup

The Multinational Battlegroup consists of 1,000 soldiers, of which 300 Belgian and 30 Luxembourgish soldiers, and is commanded by Colonel Benoît Chrissement. [15] It is equipped with the following: [16]

ModelNumber
Leclerc tank 13
Char de dépannage DNG/DCL 2
VBCI 24
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé 37
Petit Véhicule Protégé 19
Véhicule Blindé Léger 32
ACMAT VT4  [ fr ]37
CAESAR [17] 4
Lance Roquette Unitaire [18] 3
120mm mortar 4
Transport trucks10+

MAMBA system

From 6 May, at the request of the Romanian authorities and NATO, the French forces deployed the MAMBA ground-to-air defence system at the Capu Midia base. The system is composed of several interconnected modules. Each launch unit can salvo fire up to eight ASTER 30 missiles. To increase the efficiency, the system is connected and integrated via a tactical data link to the Romanian, and NATO defense systems, which command it. Following a test phase, the MAMBA system was certified and is now fully integrated in the NATO Integrated Air Missile Defence (IAMD). [19]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 3.
  2. 1 2 Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 10.
  3. ↑ Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 5.
  4. 1 2 Ministère des Armées 2023, p. 7–8.
  5. ↑ Tudor Curtifan (8 July 2022). "Luptă contra cronometru: Francezii ridică în timp record o bază militară - oraș la Cincu. Proiect comun între România și Franța". DefenseRomania (in Romanian).
  6. ↑ Emilien Lacombe (4 November 2022). "French soldiers in Romania are "hungry" and "cold"". frenchdailynews.com.
  7. ↑ "Ambasada Franței în România: Nu am primit nicio plângere formală privind condiţiile din baza Cincu din partea militarilor francezi". DefenseRomania (in Romanian). 8 November 2022.
  8. ↑ Emilien Diaz (28 March 2023). "VIDÉOS. Au coeur de la mission AIGLE en Roumanie avec le 1er régiment d'artillerie de Belfort". France 3 Bourgogne (in French).
  9. ↑ "Ukraine: départ de blindés français vers la Roumanie". Le Figaro (in French). 18 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "FOTO Tancurile franceze Leclerc au ajuns în România și se alătură Grupului de Luptă NATO de la Cincu". HotNews (in Romanian). 16 November 2022.
  11. ↑ "AIGLE – Premiers tirs des chars Leclerc lors de l'exercice EAGLE ZORI". Ministère des Armées (in French). 15 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Florin Lepădatu (29 February 2024). "NATO Battle Group in Cincu to be upgraded to brigade level in 2025". Radio România Actualități .
  13. 1 2 Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 7.
  14. ↑ "AIGLE – Cérémonie d'intégration de la section luxembourgeoise". Ministère des Armées (in French). 24 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Colonelul Benoît Chrissement a preluat comanda Grupului de luptă al NATO în România". G4Media (in Romanian). 24 February 2024.
  16. ↑ Ministère des Armées 2023, p. 9.
  17. ↑ "Point de situation des opérations du jeudi 20 au mercredi 26 juillet 2023". Ministère des Armées (in French). Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  18. ↑ "LRU: lance roquette unitaire". Ministère des Armées (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  19. ↑ Ministère des Armées 2022, pp. 12, 13.

Bibliography

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