The first two convoys of armored infantry fighting vehicles (VBCI) left Tuesday morning from the Mourmelon-le-Grand military camp (Marne, eastern France) for Romania as part of Operation Aigle, which aims to strengthen the defense of NATO’s eastern flank. over time. Leclerc tanks are also due to join the Cincu military base in the center of the country to reinforce this mission under French command, which was launched on February 28, 2022 in response to Russian strikes in Ukraine.
The biggest act since the 90s
“France respects its obligations for the benefit of NATO and our partners”.emphasized Major General Francois Guggenheim, the head of the Europe-Continental Ground Command in Lille. “After Dage (operation), there was no logistic operation of such importance in Europe.”The name of France’s participation in the international coalition created after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the early 90s, he added. About ten convoys are to gradually leave Mourmelon for Romania, carrying about ten Leclerc tanks as well as about twenty armored vehicles over 2,000 kilometers across Europe.
The military authorities did not specify their exact number, as well as their exact route. Due to their width and weight – the Leclerc tank and its armored personnel carrier weigh around 100 tons – these exceptional convoys will take seven to eight days to reach Zinku. In Romania, the steep roads of the Carpathians await them. At the same time, special trains carrying ammunition, food and technical equipment will arrive in Romania. A logistics complex supporting the 516th Train Regiment of Toul (Mert-et-Moselle). On the ground, the Army will oversee the Combined Arms Tactical Group (GTIA), armed by the Besançon-based 7th Armored Brigade, which should have 1,000 soldiers by the first quarter of 2023.
Source: Le Figaro
