Two NATO command and control centers will be set up in Romania which will become operational in 2016 and where Romanian military will also serve along staff from other Member States, defense ministers of NATO member states decided on Thursday.
At the defense ministers meeting in Brussels the immediate establishment of Eastern allies was decided - Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Integration of NATO Forces units, which are a multinational command and control structure of NATO that will "provide a visible and ongoing presence of NATO allies in the Eastern territory", Mediafax reports.
In addition to this center, Romania will also host a Multinational Command Southeast division which will operate as a command and control center when deploying forces on the Eastern flank of NATO.
"After being admitted into NATO in 2004,the measures approved for Romania at this meeting are very important, we can even call them historical, in terms of insuring the Eastern flank of NATO and the EU. (...) These units will have a key role linking the national and NATO forces, providing command and control in situations where the new reaction force of the Alliance, with the high level of efficiency, will be deployed, "said Thursday in Brussels, Minister of National Defence Mircea Dusa.
For 2015, an interim program solution will be tested with contributions from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
The two centers in Romania will be implemented during 2015 and will be made available to NATO in 2016. Both Romanian and NATO military personnel will work here.
The member states alleged to send military staff to Romania are UK, USA, Canada, Bulgaria, Turkey and Poland.
Britain will send 1,000 troops and four Typhoon fighters for the new rapid reaction force, said Fallon.
Defence Ministers of NATO member states met in Brussels to discuss the details of creating a common very rapid reaction Force (also called "spearhead").