Commander of NATO Special Operations Headquarters on working visit at premises of National Defense Ministry

The security situation in the Black Sea region, with focus on allied initiatives carried out as part of the measures aimed at strengthening the defense and deterrence posture, was a major subject Secretary of State for defence policy Mircea Dusa and Chief of Romania's General Staff Gen. Nicolae Ciuca approached with Commander of the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, Rear Admiral Colin Kilrain, during the latter's visit this Thursday to the premises of the National Ministry of Defense, the Ministry said in a release 

Another subject discussed during the meeting was the establishment of a corps-level Land Component Command based in Romania, a subject that has been on the agenda of the recent NATO Summit in Brussels. 

In this context, Dusa emphasized the need to ensure consistency in the planning and implementation of the allied response in crisis or conflict situations, and highlighted the way Romania fulfills the undertaken commitments, including by the allocation of 2 percent of GDP for defense spending. He also voiced particular appreciation for the contribution of the US, through the Strategic Partnership, and of the NATO Command to the development of the Romanian special operations forces, materialized through rendering operational of the Special Operations Forces Command and the inauguration on June 1, 2018 of the Special Operations Force Warfare School in Targu-Mures, the release states. 

The sides agreed on the importance of the special operations forces in the current security context and their contribution to the allied effort towards ensuring security and stability, and voiced appreciation for the excellent relations of cooperation between the Romanian special operation forces and the US peer structures, as well as with the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, particularly in conflict areas. 

The visit to Romania of the Commander of the NATO Special Operations Headquarters was occasioned by the graduation ceremony of the first class of the "Joint course of certified SOF operator" organized at the Special Operations Force Warfare School.