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Mission Aigle

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Mission Aigle
Mission Aigle
Badge of Mission Aigle
Active28 February 2022 – present
AllegianceNATO
TypeArmy
Size1,500+
Part ofNATO 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]

History

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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 the Cincu Training Center 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

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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

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MAMBA system in Romania

As of June 2024, the multinational force in Romania is made up of more than 1,500 soldiers, organized in the following units:[4]

  • Multinational Battlegroup in Cincu and Mihail Kogalniceanu
  • Medium-range surface-to-air defence detachment (Détachement sol-air moyenne portée - SAMP) MAMBA, in Capu Midia
  • National support echelon (Échelon de soutien national - ESN), in Cincu and Mihail Kogalniceanu
  • Senior National Representative (SNR) and the Brigade Forward Command Element (BFCE) in Bucharest

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

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The Multinational Battlegroup consists of more than 1,500 soldiers, of which 300 Belgian and 30 Luxembourgish soldiers, and is commanded by Colonel Louis-Marie Levacher.[15] The French troops are headquartered at Camp Général Berthelot, formerly "Cherry Hill", named in honor of General Henri Mathias Berthelot. The battlegroup is equipped with the following:[15][16]

Model Number
Leclerc tank 13
Char de dépannage DNG/DCL 2
VBCI 19
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé 40
Petit Véhicule Protégé 24
Véhicule Blindé Léger 36
ACMAT VT4 [fr] 37
CAESAR[17] 4
Lance Roquette Unitaire[18] 3
120mm mortar 4
MILAN N/A
Mistral N/A
Transport trucks 10+

MAMBA system

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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]

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  • T-55 tanks of the Romanian 814th tank battalion and French Leclercs in Turda
    T-55 tanks of the Romanian 814th tank battalion and French Leclercs in Turda
  • Romanian HIMARS and a French LRU firing during exercise Eagle Royal at Capu Midia
    Romanian HIMARS and a French LRU firing during exercise Eagle Royal at Capu Midia
  • Combined training for Romanian, Portuguese and French soldiers, exercise Eagle Black
    Combined training for Romanian, Portuguese and French soldiers, exercise Eagle Black
  • CAESAR artillery system
    CAESAR artillery system
  • Leclerc tank firing during exercise Eagle Fulger
    Leclerc tank firing during exercise Eagle Fulger

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 3.
  2. ^ a b Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 10.
  3. ^ Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 5.
  4. ^ a b Ministère des Armées 2024, 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. ^ a b Ministère des Armées 2022, p. 7.
  14. ^ "AIGLE – Cérémonie d'intégration de la section luxembourgeoise". Ministère des Armées (in French). 24 March 2023.
  15. ^ a b Ministère des Armées 2024, p. 9.
  16. ^ "Tabăra militară franceză de la Cincu devine "Camp Général Berthelot"". uzpr.ro (in Romanian). 26 June 2024.
  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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