US military begins joint exercises near Russian territory

Viet Anh• May 5, 2021 15:24

On May 4, US military forces in Europe began joint exercises with 28,000 troops from 26 countries near Russian territory for more than six weeks, with a focus on the Balkans and Black Sea regions.

According to the Washington Examiner, this is the largest multinational exercise organized by the US European Command (EUCOM). This move comes right after the exercise is said to have involved about 100,000 Russian troops in the eastern border area of Ukraine and Crimea.

Theexercise, which has been planned for a long time, is aimed at testing the infrastructure and military response capabilities ofNATOin Southeast Europe. General Tod Wolters - commander of EUCOM, announced that the exercise also aims to improve logistics.

“What we are trying to do is improve our transparency and strategic alignment, which hasn't been done on this scale and scope since the 1940s,” Mr. Wolters said.

US military equipment landed at Durres Port, Albania on May 1. Photo: AP

Activities in the exercise include armed infiltration, air and missile defense, live fire and a command and control exercise. All are aimed at improving the readiness of US troops to easily integrate with NATO partners in the event of a crisis in the region.

“We are trying to follow the direction of the EUCOM commander and the Department of Defense to immediately shift our focus to the Balkans and the Black Sea. This is a key strategic area where we have always had a presence, but we still want to increase our presence,” an EUCOM official told the Washington Examiner in March.

After the tensions in Russia-Ukraine relations in 2014, the US began to have a rotational military presence throughout the NATO sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. NATO partner countries in the Black Sea region, such as Romania and Bulgaria, are also the US's largest military partners.

According to Washington Examiner, activities in the framework of next week’s exercise will also include inspections of roads, ports and military infrastructure, some of which benefit from the US’s $20 billion six-year European Deterrence Initiative (EDI).