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The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) completed their Air Task Force (ATF) training mission in Romania on Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, and was honoured with a parade and flag-lowering ceremony at the Romanian Air Force 71st Air Base in Câmpia Turzii.
The ATF is the air component of Operation Reassurance; it deployed to Romania on April 29, 2014.
The RCAF’s CF-18 aircraft will now relocate to Lithuania to augment the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission from September to December 2014. Canada remains committed to supporting Ukraine promoting security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.
“In the shadow of Russia’s aggressive actions in Central and Eastern Europe, it is important that we are able to maintain interoperability with our allies in the region,” said Defence Minister Rob Nicholson. “Training with our NATO partners in Romania has ensured our men and women in uniform remain ready to meet changing international challenges, to contribute to international peace, stability and security, and to deploy military forces to support partners and allies around the world.”
Operation Reassurance refers to the military activities undertaken by the Canadian Armed Forces to support NATO reassurance measures through the provision of military capabilities for training, exercises, demonstrations and assigned NATO tasks, such as the Baltic Air Policing mission, and to promote security and stability in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Canadian ATF currently consists of six CF-18 Hornet aircraft, a command and control element, a mission support element providing logistical support, and an operational support element providing operational support to air assets including force protection, intelligence, aerospace management and maintenance coordination. Approximately 200 airmen and airwomen from 2 Wing and 3 Wing Bagotville, Que.; 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta.; 8 Wing Trenton, Ont.; 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S.; 17 Wing Winnipeg, Man.; and 22 Wing North Bay, Ont., support these activities.
“It gives me a great sense of pride to see how far we have come in less than four months,” said Lieutenant-Colonel David Pletz, the commander of the ATF. “We have had outstanding exchanges not just amongst our aircrews, but across all aspects of the Air Task Force – from firefighters to medical staff, air traffic controllers, military police, engineers, as well as our maintenance personnel – all trades that are here supporting flying operations.
