Romania promotes 10 air force soldiers after drone interceptions in Romania and Lithuania

Recognition at Borcea Air Base

Interim Defence Minister Radu Miruță signed the exceptional promotion orders for ten Romanian Air Force personnel: three officers and seven master sergeants. The ceremony took place on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, at the 86th Air Base in Borcea, where Miruță was joined by Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Leonard Baraboi and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Dragoș Iacob. The soldiers were singled out for their direct contribution to drone-interception operations carried out on Romanian territory and during the Baltic Air Policing deployment in Lithuania.

“Today I had the honour to confer exceptional advancement in rank for ten Romanian Air Force soldiers, alongside the Chief of the Air Force Staff, Lieutenant General Leonard Baraboi. They are people who contributed directly to the success of the drone-combat missions conducted both in Romania and in Lithuania.”

The Ministry of National Defence stated that the promotions were a formal acknowledgment of the soldiers' direct role in defending national and allied airspace.

A team effort under pressure

Miruță repeatedly stressed that the missions succeeded because of coordinated teamwork, not individual heroics. He listed the roles that make each interception possible: pilots, air traffic controllers, technical staff, mechanics, and surveillance, command and control specialists. The minister described an environment in which personnel work under pressure that most people never see.

“Yes, it means this is their mission, but any cold analysis shows they are doing extraordinary things with what they have at their disposal.”

The Defence Ministry communication underscored the same point, noting that the results in Lithuania and Romania "demonstrate the high level of training, professionalism and reaction capability of Romanian Air Force personnel, as well as their ability to act effectively both in national missions and in those conducted together with allies."

Security talks at the Ukraine border

After the promotion ceremony, Miruță, Iacob and Baraboi held a detailed review of the security situation along the border with Ukraine and developments in the Black Sea region. They assessed deterrence measures adopted in northern Dobrogea and the defence posture, with particular focus on countering aerial threats. The minister ordered commanders to make maximum use of existing capabilities to protect the population and pledged to ensure the military receives the resources, equipment and support needed for the mission.

“I want Romanians to know one thing: the Romanian Army has not rested on its laurels after the successful missions of recent days. On the contrary. Day and night, 24 hours a day, all scenarios are analysed, procedures are permanently re-evaluated, deployments are reconfigured and response measures are adapted to every development on the ground.”

Miruță added that Romania's safety is not the result of luck but of the uninterrupted work of professionals who keep watch even when they are not seen.

Modernisation push

The Defence Ministry noted that the visit included an evaluation of response capabilities against aerial threats. Miruță signalled his intention to back measures that strengthen the operational capacity of the Romanian Air Force, including the modernisation of surveillance, command-and-control and air-defence systems.