Exercise "Dacian Spring 2025": France to Test Readiness for Conflict with Russia.

In May 2025, French military forces plan to take part in large-scale exercises in Romania, which will be called "Dacian Spring 2025".

These exercises are intended to test the ability of French troops to quickly move to NATO's eastern flank in the event of an attack on a member of the alliance by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reports.

"Previously, we played at war. Now we have a real enemy, and we are training with people we would go to real war with," said General Bertrand Toujouse, Commander of European Land Forces. "Exercises like "Dacian Spring 2025" are a strategic signal," he added.

The French army plans to train to be capable of deploying a combat brigade of between 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers in Romania within 10 days. However, the main issue is the rapid movement to Romania. "There is still no military Schengen in Europe, and we need to vigorously improve military mobility," said General Pierre-Eric Guilleault.

The previous deployment of troops to Romania in 2022 faced bureaucracy, border procedures, and movement on trains that are unsuitable for military equipment. Since then, countries have worked on resolving these issues.

By 2027, NATO requires that France be able to deploy a ready combat division within 30 days, including ammunition and supplies. Such a division would number between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers.