Bulgarian, Romanian and US troops hold joint training exercise

Bulgarian, Romanian and US troops hold joint training exercise
26/07/2006
The "Immediate Response 06" military exercise is giving troops from three NATO member states an opportunity to improve their capabilities and interoperability.
(Various sources -- 29/06/06 - 25/07/06)

A Bulgarian soldier (left) and US soldier man the command section of a Bulgarian BMP-1 troop carrier during the Immediate Response 06 exercise in Novo Selo, Bulgaria. [Gary Kieffer]

Bulgarian, Romanian and US military forces are set to wind up a nearly two week-long joint training exercise on Saturday (29 July) in Romania.
The drill, dubbed Immediate Response 2006 (IR06), officially kicked off at the Novo Selo training area in southern Bulgaria on 17 July. It involves about 800 Bulgarian, Romanian and American soldiers and hundreds of others providing logistical and other necessary support.
The aim of the exercise, first developed by the United States Army Europe and 7th Army Command in 2002, is to increase interoperability among the armies of the three NATO member states. According to Colonel Iurie Tanase, chief of office at the Romanian Land Forces Command and the Romanian co-ordinator of the exercises, the goal was also to improve the Romanian troops' combat capabilities at the level of platoon, company and General Staff.
Soldiers are conducting weapons familiarisation live-fires, Military Operations in Urban Terrain, air assault operations and cross border convoy manoeuvres.
"It is not the first time we are firing with an M16 and probably not the last time," said Romanian Platoon Commander Lieutenant Constantin Paraschivu. "Here, on the firing field or the tactical field, we establish the basis of our interoperability. A military that has trained together, observing the same standards, is much more effective in real situations. We are training for this."
Colonel Petar Petrov, chief of staff of Bulgaria's 61st Mechanised Infantry Brigade, said his soldiers wanted to take part in the drill, as they have not fought with Western forces yet.
"We want to be certified as part of NATO forces," he said. "We want to conduct expeditionary exercises as part of NATO."
The Bulgarian and Romanian militaries mastered new tactics for blocking, neutralising and disarming terrorist groups and their leaders, commanders said.
A key aspect of the drill has been the use of the Deployable Instrumentation System Europe (DISE). With the DISE gear strapped on their vests and helmets, and with their weapons equipped with lasers, soldiers can monitor everything that is happening on the battlefield. After the action is over, soldiers can then review it on a TV screen.
While it would be unlikely to see an American, Bulgarian and Romanian soldier in the same vehicle during a real combat operation, as occurred during the exercise, what this does is help boost mutual confidence, said Colonel James Shumway, 1st Armored Division's Engineer Brigade commander and exercise director for IR06.
"There's no better way for our [nations'] soldiers to develop confidence and understanding in each other," the US newspaper Stars and Stripes quoted him as saying. "If we kept separate platoons and squads, we wouldn't get that same level of immersion."
A Romanian captain involved in the exercise echoed his words. "If we have to work and fight together again, we know each other and have trained with each other; we are friends," said Captain Cristian Reducu of Romania's 26th Infantry Brigade.