US Army, Romanian troops take part in live-fire exercises

SMARDAN TRAINING AREA, Romania (AP) — Hundreds of U.S. Army and Romanian troops have joined forces for a live-fire exhibition featuring tanks and aircraft conducting battlefield manoeuvrs in Operation Atlantic Resolve, an exercise meant to allay concerns in Eastern Europe over an increasingly bellicose Russia.

Maj. Gen. John L. Gronsky, the deputy commanding general for the National Guard, on Thursday called the drill which took place in a blizzard “a demonstration of the willingness of Romania and the United States to fight shoulder to shoulder to defend our freedom if necessary.”

He said U.S. presence in the region is “all about deterring our adversaries… about building our readiness and improving our readiness… about proving our freedom of movement throughout Europe.”

Gen. Nicolae Ciuca, Romanian Chief of Staff, said similar drills would run until the year’s end.