U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander, U.S. European Command, co-hosted the two-day 2023 Chiefs of Defense Conference alongside Romanian Gen. Daniel Petrescu, Romanian Chief of Defense Staff, in Bucharest, Romania, from June 8-9, 2023.
The event drew representatives from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, in addition to National Guard leadership from Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. Seven of the eight European nations in attendance are original members of the State Partnership Program and are celebrating 30 years of partnership.
Cavoli thanked Petrescu and the Romanian Armed Forces for their contributions to collective defense. "You host U.S. and NATO forces, and you do so much in the larger effort to deter Russian aggression," said Cavoli.
Cavoli also lauded Romanian Armed Forces' leadership in this year's DEFENDER exercise series, consisting of three linked training exercises with Saber Guardian as its third and final training event.
"They are leading tactical employment in combined military training events to include joint forcible entry and wet gap crossings," added Cavoli. "This combined training in Saber Guardian makes the alliance stronger, and demonstrates the speed and effectiveness of our deployable forces."
During the event, leaders discussed logistics and support to Ukraine, combined operations, and intelligence sharing. It also provided a venue for leaders to strengthen military-to-military relationships toward solving complex, regional challenges.
Petrescu emphasized that the Bucharest meeting aimed to achieve a harmonized military approach on the Eastern flank, as part of the allied defensive thinking, which will be finalized at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in July.
"The Black Sea region is an area of strategic interest for NATO. The consistent presence of Allied structures, especially American ones and countries like Romania with close proximity to the war contributes to the success that deterrence plays in a security equation," said Petrescu.
Regularly hosted by Allies throughout Europe, Chiefs of Defense conferences are a key component of EUCOM's comprehensive approach to regional security. Through continuous engagement, EUCOM and its Allies foster enduring partnerships and strengthening cooperation among Allied nations.
