Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) is participating with its own personnel in the management structure of Exercise Vigorous Warrior 2026 (VW26), held in Estonia from June 8 to 20, the largest multinational medical exercise conducted under NATO auspices.

“The involvement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, through the DSU and the structures under its coordination and operational command, in Exercise Vigorous Warrior 2026 represents an essential step in strengthening national and international response capabilities in complex situations,” the DSU said in a press release.

Participation in this year’s edition offers Romanian specialists the opportunity to train alongside international partners, validate operational procedures and contribute to the development of medical response capabilities in a complex multinational environment.

The exercise also contributes to strengthening planning, management and operational coordination capabilities at both national and international levels. In addition, it provides an opportunity to identify and address possible shortcomings in intervention procedures and protocols, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of future operations.

The DSU is participating in the exercise management structure under the coordination of Deputy Director General Bogdan Pop. The Romanian contingent also includes personnel from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), as well as the RO1.EMT Bucharest emergency medical team, staffed by medical personnel from the Bucharest Emergency Clinical Hospital and the Grigore Alexandrescu Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, alongside officers and non-commissioned officers from the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

Romania has also deployed five personnel and multiple-casualty transport vehicles from emergency inspectorates in Bihor, Cluj, Hunedoara, Sibiu and Timis counties, a virtual reality simulation team from Mures County, and doctors and nurses from several Mobile Emergency Resuscitation and Extrication Service (SMURD) emergency units, serving as case managers.

The RO1.EMT team is led by Alexandru Draghici, senior emergency physician at the Bucharest SMURD emergency unit, with Evelin Cretu of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations serving as deputy logistics coordinator.

VW26 brings together civilian and military medical structures from allied and partner countries in an operational scenario based on Articles 3 and 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The activities are designed to test and develop response capabilities in complex situations, focusing on mass casualty management, civil-military cooperation, multinational medical logistics and interoperability of procedures and equipment.

Held every two years by the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine together with a volunteer host nation, the Vigorous Warrior exercises represent the Alliance’s main framework for training and evaluating medical capabilities.