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The Romanian Naval Forces (SMFN) announce that procurement programmes for the next period include the acquisition of the first new multifunctional corvette, the reestablishment of the 508 Division Coast Rockets, but also the upgrading of the T22R frigates and their endowment with equipment to fight against air, underwater and on the water surface menace, according to a press release issued on Thursday by the Naval Forces.
The 2016 report was presented by Rear Admiral Alexander Mirsu, chief of the Navy Staff, General Nicolae Ciuca, chief of the General Staff, during a sitting of self-assessment, which was attended by representatives of the Minister of Defence central structures and commanders of large units in the Naval Forces.
"The procurement programmes to be initiated in the next period, were prioritized in two phases. Phase I will be carried on in the period 2017-2020, and will include the purchase of the first new multifunctional corvette; the reestablishment of Rockets 508 Coast Division and its endowment with mobile installations to launch contained missile and a mobile platform for command and control, the modernization of T22R frigates and providing them with equipment to fight against the air, underwater and on water menace; the modernization of two missile carriers, the re-motorization of river military vessels. Phase II, in 2020-2026, includes the procurement of three multifunctional corvettes, the modernization of the third missile carrier and within the limit of the budget the Naval Forces will have at their disposal, initiating a multiannual procurement programme for new submarines, " specifies the press release.
The main topics of the meeting were the management of maritime and river space, the monitoring of the naval and river situation in the area of responsibility of the Naval Forces at the Eastern border of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), the development of the operational capacity of the package of forces available to NATO, the new equipment modernization and endowment programmes and other important aspects of the activities carried out in 2016.
Rear Admiral Alexandru Mirsu informed that the number of training days at sea in 2016 doubled as compared to the previous year, given the crisis situation in the Black Sea Basin and the freezing of the regional military initiatives.
"2016 was a particularly tense year in the Black Sea area, if we consider the crisis in Turkey and the issues raised by the significant increase in the level of endowment of the Russian Federation Navy in the Black Sea, but also the frozen conflicts in the Caucasus and in the eastern neighborhood of our country, in Transdniester. In this context, our ships were at sea 159 days, in a multinational setting, and I notice an increase of approximately 100% comparing with 2015, when our ships conducted 84 day-missions at sea. We were joined at sea, by partners from 12 NATO countries and I mention herein the simultaneous participation, for the first time, of two NATO naval groups in the largest multinational exercise that we have organised, Sea Shield 2016, attended by 1,000 Romanian soldiers and 1,000 troops from seven allied countries. We have demonstrated that our leadership and execution structures have the ability to implement operational procedures at NATO standards, to combat threats of any kind, at sea, in the air and underwater, " the chief of the SMFN explained.
The relations between the Romanian Navy and the international partners have been reinforced by numerous joint training activities both at sea and on land, in the country and abroad, attended by Navy soldiers.
Rear Admiral Mirsu mentioned the participation of several ships in missions together with NATO partners, naming the "Regina Maria" frigate, the sea mine warfares "Second Lieutenant Alexandru Axente" and "Lieutenant Dimitrie Nicolescu", the "Eustatiu Sebastian" corvette, but also the 164 Division Naval Forces for Special Operations in Afghanistan, the Marines for the first time in the largest exercise in fighting against terrestrial and air threats, Silver Arrow 16, organised by NATO in Latvia, as well as employing a significant number of positions in the NATO and EU headquarters of Romanian Naval Forces personnel.
The naval forces, the release reads, participate in the development of 11 projects under the "Smart Defence" Initiative, and the current system of coastal maritime surveillance represents a priority and, at the same time, a commitment toward NATO and the EU. The interconnection between the Naval Forces' specialized structures with those of NATO and the EU has increased the exchange of information and has accomplished an integrated maritime picture of the Black Sea area.
"The battle capacity of the structures subordinated to the River Fleet was enhanced by increasing the number of integrated exercises, of the Joint Force type, performed by the river vessels, the Marines, and the Puma Naval helicopters in the Danube Delta, as well as through our military participation in the Sea Breeze 2016 Multinational Exercise, organised by the American strategic partner and Ukraine, on the border of eastern Romania, in the Odessa area " shows the cited source.
Last year, SMFN had 170 international activities. Out of these, one third took place on national territory and two thirds abroad. The strategic partnership with the US included joint training activities, at sea, in the air and on the ground, and the positive results are visible in the high level of interoperability between Romanian maritime soldiers and American ones, the release further mentions.
The report of the Naval Forces mentions that the ongoing restructuring and endowment planning processes included numerous programmes, some of which were concluded at the end of last year, others being underway until 2026. After 20 years, three new vessels have entered the service of the Romanian Naval Forces, 'Vartosul', 'Voinicul' and 'Vanjosul' multipurpose tugboats. Funds allocated for the vessels' maintenance processes and repair were used for the complex repair of eight vessels, in order to increase their battle capacity.
