BABADAG TRAINING AREA, Romania- Romanian soldiers and U.S. Marines conducted mechanized attacks with tanks and light-armored vehicles in order to improve combined proficiency in fire and maneuver during Platinum Lynx aboard Babadag Training Area, Romania, April 17-22, 2016.
“For all of us, the main purpose was integration and execution of the mission,” said Romanian 1st Lt. Paul Zaharescu, company commander with the 912th Tank Battalion. “We had five tanks that were firing and we had different rounds than the [U.S.] Marines. The feeling of having T-55’s [Romanian tanks] and [M1A1] Abrams alongside each other and fighting the enemy together is a feeling I will never forget. You rarely see something like that.”
Nearly 300 Service members from Combined Arms Company, additional Black Sea Rotational Force Marines, and members from Romanian tank and mechanized infantry brought over 25 mechanized assets to participate in Platinum Lynx. The Bulgaria-based Combined Arms Company, which arrived in Eastern Europe August 2015, moved armored assets across borders in order to participate in the live-fire exercise.
“We proved that we can work together with [the Romanians], shoulder to shoulder,” said Lt. Col. Justin J. Ansel, commanding officer for BSRF.
The annually-scheduled “Platinum” series exercises are intended to bolster relationships between NATO allies and partners in order to collectively address common security challenges throughout Eastern Europe.
The Combined Arms Company and U.S. Service members from Black Sea Rotational Force are scheduled to participate in Platinum Lion next month in Novo Selo, Bulgaria. NATO Allies and partners will further develop the ability to work together seamlessly through mechanized attacks.
Date Taken: | 04.22.2016 |
Date Posted: | 04.26.2016 13:08 |
Story ID: | 196556 |
Location: | BABADAG TRAINING AREA, RO |
Web Views: | 160 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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