Romania joined NATO Support and Strike Force – STRIKFORNATO

Romania became the 15th member of the NATO Support and Strike Force – STRIKFORNATO, announced the Romanian Minister of Defence in a press release.

The Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, participated on Wednesday, January 10, in Oeiras, Portugal, at the ceremony of raising Romania’s national flag at the NATO Support and Strike Force Command headquarters.

Lithuania and Romania were the latest Allied nations to sign the STRIKFORNATO Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), officially joining on January 1 2024.

The partnership between the Romanian Naval Forces and STRIKFORNATO started over a year ago, including by participating with officers in the activities and missions executed by the Joint Allied Command in the NATO area of ​​responsibility.

STRIKFORNATO stands for Joint Allied Command with a focus on the maritime domain, which encompasses very high strike capabilities such as carrier battle groups, expeditionary groups, and strike groups consisting of cruisers, destroyers, and frigates.

At the same time, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait had a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from Portugal, Admiral Henrique Eduardo Passaláqua de Gouveia e Melo, during which they discussed aspects related to the strengthening of cooperation between the Romanian and Portuguese Naval Forces.