CNE DET MAST Supports Black Sea Rotational Forces in Romania

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe Detachment Maritime Ashore Support Team (CNE DET MAST), a 10-man expeditionary communications unit, is providing critical communications support to the Black Sea Rotational Forces (BSRF-14) in Badabag, Romania, May 7.

The support comes as part of Exercise Platinum Eagle 2014, a multilateral exercise involving several NATO allies and partners including Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia and Macedonia.

BSRF-14 is a contingent of Marines and Sailors in the Black Sea, Balkans, and Caucasus regions currently maintaining proven partnerships, building military capacity, promoting regional stability, and providing the capability for rapid crisis response, as directed by U.S. European Command, and U.S. Marine Corps Forces (USMC) Europe and Africa.

During the exercise, Marines and Sailors will conduct basic infantry training, advanced marksmanship, company-level command and control training, and both static and squad/platoon live fires with their regional partners over the next several weeks.

According to Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Elsass, CNE DET MAST Officer in Charge (OIC), the team’s “footprint” consists of all communications services to include classified and unclassified networks, secure voice, secure terminal equipment (STE), LINK 16, Air Defense System Integrator (ADSI) and video teleconference.

“All of this technology is housed within a large CNE DET MAST tent city that consists of five tents sustained with our diesel generators. We also provide the environmental controls, and all hotel services for this team consisting of CNE DET MAST personnel only,” said Elsass.

These services provide administrative work areas for U.S., NATO, and coalition forces to operate. Over the course of the exercise, the spaces have been used for all-nation staff officer training; USMC planning and training for current and upcoming exercise evolutions; and daily video teleconferences and communications between BSRF Forward Operating Base Stingray and Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Airbase USMC command staff.

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Press Release, May 8, 2014; Image: US Navy