Arrive quickly, not knowing the duration and precise outlines of the mission … French troops are gradually deploying NATO in Romania, very close to Ukraine, invaded by Russia. Not for battle, but given that the high-intensity war begins two hours from here. “We are proud, there is excitement, we are coming to something new, this is the opening of a theater,” explains Lieutenant Tangi, 26, who heads the support section of the 126th Brives Infantry Regiment.
Forty men under his command landed on Thursday at the Mihail Cogalnicanu base near Constanta on the Black Sea coast. With their two mortars, their medium-range missiles, they fit into the system of about 500 troops that France urgently deploys within NATO after the Russian attack on Ukraine. “France, called by NATO, has come to reassure the people of Eastern Europe,” said Captain Benoit, 35, of the 27th Battalion of Alpine Hunters, which arrived on Monday.
Four Belgian soldiers as scouts
Along with Lieutenant Tangi’s men, four Belgian soldiers descended from the E330 of Esterel Squadron, responsible for preparing for the arrival “in a few days” of more than 300 soldiers from 1/3 of Belgian Uhlans, an infantry motorized vehicle equipped with about twenty combat vehicles. including cannons, their liaison officer explains. Meanwhile, the newcomers are settling in large white tents at the base, where thousands of US troops have already camped in solid installations.
In the buzzing of the heater, they move their beds and unpack their belongings, not knowing exactly how long they will stay, and on a falling night, alpine hunters, who arrived a few days earlier and have already left their mark, return from the game. American base with pizza boxes, mud and snow puddles. “We are happy, a little excited, we still don’t know exactly what we are going to do, this is a different framework from previous missions,” said Sergeant Kenan, 24, the group’s deputy leader, before boarding. Mortar to the 126th Infantry Regiment.
French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parley will travel to Romania on Sunday. “I will go to Romania on Sunday to see our soldiers,” the minister said on Thursday night, interviewed by franceinfo. “We have deployed them because we owe aid and solidarity to countries that belong to the European Union, that belong to the Atlantic Alliance and that are closest to this conflict,” she added.
The so-called high-intensity war
For nearly twenty years, army missions have been marked by the fight against jihadists against a mobile enemy hidden among the population in vast areas without a truly defined front. With the invasion of Ukraine from Russia, the so-called high-intensity war between the states is returning, as expected from French doctrine for several years.
In just over two hours, the war in Ukraine begins, with 120,000 Russian troops facing 90,000 Ukrainians, according to the French General Staff. “We train with high intensity, so we have no worries. We know that we are well trained, we are confident in ourselves, in our abilities, “said John, a 1st grader at the 126th RI, 20, for whom this is the second second overseas mission since Gabon.
“However, we are not at war with Russia,” Emmanuel Macron warned in a speech to the French on Wednesday night. “We are ready for war, we have everything we need, but we are not going there for that,” Lieutenant Tangi summed up. “We told the families that I was leaving and I don’t know exactly when I will be back,” the Belgian officer explained.
Restoring a culture of “responsiveness”
Faced with a Russian offensive, the military was urgently sent to Romania. This mobilization of several nations in a short time requires strict organization, and Western armies do not have all the capabilities to design themselves. That is why they use the service of a private company to transport part of the equipment to the Romanian base with a Antonov 124 jumbo jet.
“This culture of readiness has been somewhat lost,” the Belgian officer said in recent years. “This kind of reminder is good for the military, for families and for decision-makers, because that’s what strength is: responsiveness.”