Next year, France will deploy thousands of troops to Romania for the "Dacian Spring 25" military exercise. This large-scale operation is part of a wider NATO initiative aimed at improving readiness and ensuring that member states can respond swiftly in the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin targets a NATO ally.
France doubled its contribution to the NATO Response Force in Romania on 28 February, 2022, just four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sending 350 additional soldiers as well as a dozen armoured vehicles and a dozen Leclerc tanks.
Since 1 May 2022, the deployed force, operating under the name "Mission Eagle" ("Mission Aigle") has taken the form of a multinational battlegroup of which France is the core. France also deploys a MAMBA ground-to-air defense system, logistics and fighting units, totalling more than 1,000 French soldiers.
Last month, additional vehicles from the French 7th Armored Brigade arrived in Romania. In total eight Leclerc tanks and six armed personnel carriers reached the army camp General Berthelot, just outside Bucarest, escorted by Romanian military police.
The logistics are designed to support Mission Aigle's participation in the Dacian Fall 24 and Dacian Spring 25 military exercises planned for next autumn and spring.
Exercises like Dacian Spring send a strategic message, reinforcing the alliance’s resolve and capabilities.
"We used to play war," General Bertrand Toujouse was quoted as saying by Politico.
"Now there's a designated enemy, and we train with people with whom we'd actually go to war."
France to boost military presence in eastern Europe
According to Politico, France's land forces have started a "profound transformation" to be ready for a high-intensity conflict similar to the war in Ukraine.
Quoting the French Defence Ministry, Politico says that the French army has "new marching orders from NATO," meaning that by 2027 it "should be able to deploy a war-ready division in 30 days."
The upcoming exercise in Romania serves as an "intermediate step" toward this goal, with the French Army testing "its ability to deploy a brigade, typically 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, within a 10-day window."
A division consists of between 10,000 to as many as 25,000 soldiers.
