On Tuesday, members of the Croatian Air Force hosted colleagues from the French Air and Space Force, with whom they will participate in several activities on Wednesday as part of the French military exercise PEGASE 25, aimed at strengthening the security of NATO’s eastern flank.

“We are very happy to have you here and we look forward to working with you today, tomorrow, and in the future,” said Colonel Željko Ninić, Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Croatian Air Force, to his French counterpart, Brigadier General Patrice Hugret, Commander of the Air Operations Brigade, at the “Colonel Marko Živković” barracks in Pleso.

After spending recent days in Sweden and Poland, members of the French Air and Space Force are in Zagreb today and tomorrow as part of the PEGASE 25 exercise. They will be joined by Croatian Air Force personnel in several joint activities.

“We are especially pleased that, just days after completing the delivery of the 12th Rafale and establishing the full strength of our fighter squadron, we’ve had the opportunity to host a French Air and Space Force team in an activity that showcases our shared level of training, interoperability, and host nation support,” said Colonel Ninić.

He emphasized that this activity is extremely important for the Croatian Air Force and the 191st Fighter Squadron.

“We seize every opportunity to raise the readiness and training levels of all support functions both on the ground and in the air, so we can achieve initial operational capability with the Rafale as soon as possible. We couldn’t ask for better instructors and mentors than the people from whom we bought the aircraft and with whom we completed our initial training in France,” he added.

The exercise is a French Air and Space Force initiative to enhance allied interoperability and support NATO’s deterrence and defense posture. PEGASE 25 is part of NATO’s Agile Combat Employment concept and Air Shielding missions aimed at bolstering the security of the Alliance’s eastern flank.

French Brigadier General Patrice Hugret stated that this has been a long but successfully executed mission. “Today we are in Zagreb, with our partners, and we are pleased to be here—it’s the perfect time to share insights. It’s very important that air forces are agile, resilient, and capable of providing support whenever and wherever needed,” he emphasized.

The joint activities in Croatia will involve both Croatian and French Rafales, as well as two A400M transport aircraft and an A330 MRTT refueling aircraft.

This operation sends a strong signal of readiness, autonomy, and the capability of European NATO members to respond to threats and crises and to contribute to the security and sovereignty of Europe, stated French Ambassador to Croatia Fabien Fieschi.

“The final phase of this operation, here in Croatia, is also an opportunity to highlight the excellent bilateral cooperation in defense and security. Like Sweden and Poland, Croatia has become not only a fully integrated member of NATO and the EU but also a strategic partner of France,” he emphasized.

“This demonstrates that our cooperation is deepening—that by sharing equipment and working together, France and Croatia are helping to strengthen Europe’s and NATO’s ability to defend their territory and face all challenges threatening the sovereignty of member states,” Fieschi concluded.