Officials of Romania and US Joint Forces Command on May 30 signed a memorandum to establish formal liaison contacts between the US and Romanian defense organizations. It also calls for Romania to assign a full-time military officer to the JFCOM headquarters in Norfolk, Va. The new officer is expected to arrive in the fall. Romania now can participate in JFCOM-sponsored multinational exercises and experiments.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3