PREVIOUS COMMANDERS
June 2015 – August 2017
Colonel Catalin Ticulescu was the first commander of the first NATO Headquarters in Romania.Under the command of Colonel Ticulescu and alongside the Host Nation, NFIU Romania reached Initial Capability in January 2016 and Final Capability during the Warsaw NATO Summit, in July 2016. Together with the NFIU Romania multinational team, Colonel Ticulescu set the foundation for the Host Nation coordination and cooperation procedures, which were tested and validated during the largest NATO exercise in Romania to date, Noble Jump 2017.
Lieutenant Colonel Emil Bobocea
August 2017 – March 2018
Lieutenant Colonel Emil Bobocea was acting commander of NATO Force Integration Unit between August 2017 and March 2018. While in office, Lieutenant Colonel Emil Bobocea has ensured continuity and contributed to improving the relationship with Host Nation and with other NATO Command Structure (NCS) and NATO Force Structure (NFS) Headquarters.
Colonel Cornel Tonea-Bălan
March 2018 – February 2019
Colonel Cornel Tonea-Bălan was acting commander of NATO Force Integration Unit between March 2018 and February 2019. Under his command, the NFIU continued to build relationships with Host Nation and with other relevant structures.
Lieutenant colonel Marius Chiriță
March 2019 – June 2019
Lieutenant colonel Marius Chiriță was acting commander of NATO Force Integration Unit between March-June 2019. Under his command, NFIU ROU was recertified as a NATO unit able to fulfil its assigned mission.
Lieutenant Colonel Sorin Gheorghe Șoană
June 2019 – September 2021
Lieutenant Colonel Sorin Gheorghe Șoană ensured the command of the NATO Integration Unit, between June 2019 and September 2021. During his time as Commander, NFIU ROU celebrated 5 years since its establishment on September 1, 2020. Lieutenant Colonel Șoană continued improving the relationship with the Host Nation and other structures of interest, and during the Steadfast Defender 21 exercise, once again it demonstrated that NFIU ROU is ready to carry out its assigned missions in any circumstance.
Colonel Cristian Ivanescu
November 2021 – December 2022
Colonel Cristian Ivănescu ensured the command of the NATO Integration Unit, between 01 November 2021 and 15 December 2022.
During his time as Commander, he supported together with his staff the deployment process of the French Battle Group in Romania, once again demonstrating that NFIU ROU is ready to carry out its assigned missions in any circumstance.
Under his command, on September 1, 2022, NFIU ROU celebrated 7 years since its establishment.
Colonel Cristian Ivănescu continued improving and consolidating the relationship with the Host Nation and other structures of interest.
PREVIOUS DEPUTY COMMANDERS
Commander Jaime BARON
January 2021 – July 2025
During his tenure as Deputy Commander of NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) Romania, Commander (Spanish Navy) Jaime BARON played a key role in enhancing NATO’s rapid deployment capabilities along the Eastern Flank. He actively contributed to multinational exercises by promoting Allied procedures among partner nation personnel. He also reinforced institutional cooperation with Romanian military leadership, deepening joint planning and enhancing interoperability between NATO and national structures. These efforts supported the NFIU Romania’s mission to facilitate the rapid deployment of Allied forces, build interoperability, and serve as a bridge between NATO and host-nation structures
Lieutenant Colonel José Luis Maté
January 2016 – January 2017
Lieutenant Colonel José Luis Maté was the first Spanish Armed Forces Officer to occupy a position in NFIU ROU. He participated in the application of the NFIU Implementation Plan and contributed to reaching the Final Capability status in June 2016. His expertise and leadership were essential during the planning of exercise Noble Jump 17.
Lieutenant Colonel Luis Manuel Jiménez Melero
January 2017 – July 2017
As the Deputy Commander of NFIU ROU, Lieutenant Colonel Luis Manuel Jiménez Melero contributed greatly to the success of the multinational exercise Noble Jump 17. He participated in the execution of the largest NATO exercise in 2017, Noble Jump, and helped in testing and validating the procedures applied in relation with the Host Nation and led the lessons identified process in order to ensure the procedures are updated and improved.
Commander Juan Ozores Massó
July 2017 – July 2020
Commander Juan Ozores Massó was acting commander of NATO Force Integration Unit between 2017-2020. During his assignment as a deputy commander, NFIU ROU was recertified as a NATO unit able to fulfil its assigned mission.