Exercises like the Dacian Spring “are a strategic signal,” he added.
In the past few years, France’s land forces have started a “profound transformation” to be ready for a high-intensity conflict similar to the war in Ukraine. The French army also has new marching orders from NATO: By 2027 it should be able to deploy a war-ready division in 30 days, including ammunition and supplies.
Moving toward that goal is at the heart of next year’s Dacian Spring exercise, top officers explained. The French army will train to send a war-ready brigade to Romania in 10 days — a intermediary step that, if successful, will reaffirm France’s credibility with NATO allies and pave the way to reach the 2027 objective.
A brigade has between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers, while a division has from 10,000 to as many as 25,000.
The key challenge will be to get to Romania in such a short period of time. “There is still no military Schengen, and we need to decisively improve military mobility in Europe,” said General Pierre-Eric Guillot, Toujouse’s deputy, echoing concerns previously expressed by his boss.
A 2022 first deployment of troops to Romania was dogged by red tape, border procedures and trains not suited to military equipment. Countries have worked to iron out such snarls.
