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Romanian, US and UK troops participating at the 'Danube Express-14' and 'Platinum Lynx 15-2' multinational exercises
Hundreds of Romanian, US and UK troops attended on Monday, on the Smardan firing range in Galati County, the opening ceremony of the 'Danube Express-14' and 'Platinum Lynx 15-2' multinational exercises.
The ceremony began with the NATO, Romania, Great Britain, and US anthems being played and the flags' hoisting on the poles; after the rendition of the salutes, commander of the 'Getica' 2nd Infantry Division, Brigadier General Lucian Foca, reviewed the troops.
"I am extremely honored to participate at your side in the opening of the 'Danube Express' and 'Platinum Lynx' drills. Our training together on the Smardan firing range gives us the opportunity to cement the relations among the troops of the NATO member states, to exchange experience and validate the procedures for military actions on various terrain conditions. The drill scenarios were designed so as to integrate actions by multiple elements, in a desire to enforce a strong inter-branch feature. I hereby welcome the comrades and partners from the UK and the US, wishing them success in achieving their training goals and a pleasant stay at this facility and in this area," Gen. Lucian Foca told the troops.
According to the commander of the "Danube Express" drill Colonel Ciprian Marin - who is second-in-command at the 'Union of the Principalities' 282nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Romanian, British and American troops from various disciplines - tanks, infantry, scouting forces and anti-aircraft artillery - will train together for two weeks. The purpose of the tactical drill with combat shooting with individual weapons is to develop and maintain the level of the troops' training and increase the interoperability of the participating structures by applying NATO-specific tactics, techniques and procedures.
Participating in the 'Danube Express-14' drill are troops of the 284th Tank Battalion Galati and of the Yorkshire Alma Company; the 'Platinum Lynx 15-2' drill is carried out by the troops of the 300th Infantry Battalion and by American infantry marines.