Romania's Deputy Chief of Defense, Lt. General Dragos-Dumitru Iacob, attending on Wednesday the opening of the Southeast Europe Special Operations Forces Forum 2025 (SEESOF) in Targu Mures, declared that the organization of this first edition of the event confirms that Romania's Special Operations Forces have reached maturity, as a community of interests has built this excellent instrument and tool 'step by step, brick by brick, with dedication, professionalism, humility, lots of efforts and, regrettably, sometimes with blood.'

'The reason why I say today that the SOF has reached maturity is because this very first edition of the Southeast Europe Special Forces Forum aims to open to the public the last dimension of the special forces, the intellectual one,' declared Lt. Gen. Dragos-Dumitru Iacob in the opening of SEESOF 2025, organized at the 'George Emil Palade' University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology (UMFST) in Targu Mures.

The deputy Chief of Defense pointed out that this forum is also important because it offers more opportunities, as an ideal place for exchanging ideas and best practices.

'Secondly, it provides an excellent platform for the special forces to learn where they need to integrate into multi-domain operations, by exchanging views with other services and supporting commands. And last but not least, it provides a platform for the industry to showcase some of the latest technologies, which will not only enhance the capabilities of the special forces and others, of course, but will also enable them to better accomplish their missions in order to become more lethal, more effective and, of course, better trained,' the top brass official said.

Rector of UMFST Targu Mures, Professor Dr. Leonard Azamfirei, pointed out that the university's hosting the SEESOF 2025 is not by accident, but 'is the reflection of a shared belief: that today's security is no longer the exclusive realm for defense structures, but a shared space where education, research and human development play a critical and ever growing role.'

'In recent years, our university has evolved from a classical medical faculty to a comprehensive academic ecosystem, encompassing fields such as emergency medicine, military and operational health, cybersecurity, biotechnologies and artificial intelligence. These are not just academic disciplines - they are strategic pillars in building resilient societies and interoperable defense capabilities. In this context, I see this forum as an exceptional platform to create a bridge between various areas of expertise: the operational world of special forces and the analytical, evidence-based world of the university. This intersection is a fertile ground for innovation, strategic foresight and for educating a new generation of professionals capable of navigating complexity,' said Azamfirei.

He also emphasized that it is equally important that the forum addresses human performance and resilience from a medical perspective.

The Rector mentioned that UMFST is open to joint research, curriculum development and interdisciplinary collaboration with defense institutions, both national and international.

Targu Mures deputy mayor Kovacs Mihaly Levente said in his turn that true power comes from cooperation between nations, institutions and communities.

'We are proud to be the home of this forum - not just as a host city, but also as a partner in your mission. And I want to thank both the Romanian National Defense Ministry and the 'George Emil Palade' University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology for making this possible. Their joint effort reflects something we deeply believe in here: that true power comes from cooperation between nations, institutions and communities. We know that today's world poses serious challenges. From unconventional threats to rapidly evolving technologies, the landscape is complex. But in times like these, it is precisely the courage, adaptability and unity of special operations forces that illuminate the way forward. This forum is more than just a demonstration of capabilities. It is a platform for dialogue, a space for cooperation, a signal that in this part of Europe we do not wait for security to be delivered to us, but we build it together,' the deputy mayor said.

The president of the 'Queen Maria' Heroes Observance National Association, Lt. Gen. (Ret'd) Corneliu Postu showed that Romania, as one of the actors in the region, understood that its mission is to remain a reliable partner of NATO on the south-eastern flank of the Alliance.

'More than that, we are trying to become an anchor of stability in the region in terms of security, especially in the field of special forces. (...) We are all waiting and hoping for the Ukraine war to end. Of course, when analyzing the regional security environment we shouldn't look only at Russia. We are also looking at threats such as terrorism, illegal immigration, cyberattacks and so on,' concluded Corneliu Postu. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dorina Matis; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)