NAPLES, Italy – The Allied Joint Force Command Naples Military Partnership Branch hosted a Moldovan Ministry of Defence delegation on August 8 at JFC Naples.
The Moldovan delegation, led by Lieutenant Colonel Gheorghe Oarza, Director of Defence Policy and Planning, were hosted by German Army Brigadier General Reinhard Kloss, Assistant Chief of Staff J9, and French Army Colonel Franck Faubladier, Military Partnership Branch head. Also included in the delegation were Colonel Ruslan Cojocaru, Moldovan General Staff J7 head of division, and the national military ePrime coordinator.
The Moldovans described current work on their National Defence Strategy and how the upcoming parliamentary elections could influence cooperation with NATO. They provided a comprehensive briefing on the Defense Strategy of Moldova, including a strategic analysis of threats and a detailed outlook on the 10 year plan of their defense sector reform.
Kloss was delighted when the Moldovan Director of Defence Policy advised that the Moldovan Armed Forces will be adding a further two Infantry Companies to the Operational Capability Concept pool of forces. Furthermore, the Moldovans highlighted that they will continue to contribute a contingent of 41 soldiers to the JFC Naples commanded Kosovo Force mission. Additionally, the allocation of seats on NATO courses and JFC Naples provided Mobile Training Team activity for 2019 were also discussed. With approximately 100 planned partnering events in 2019, Moldova is an active partner country.
The Moldovans were impressed not only by the quality of partnering support provided by JFC Naples staff, but also by the beauty of region, where the headquarters is located.
The annual cooperation talks are an important part of NATO’s partnership plan with Moldova. The talks contribute to a further increase in mutual trust between NATO and Moldovan Armed Forces.
At the end of the talks, Lieutenant Colonel Oarza handed over a book about the Moldovan Armed Forces to his hosts with the stating, that in a couple of years, he will bring another book as a gift and the Moldovan Armed Forces will then be different and more professional due to the assistance given by NATO. Following with, through the efforts in educating and training the Moldovan Armed Forces security, NATO is helping build security far beyond its borders.
Story by JFC Naples J9