From Cincu, in the centre, to Mihail Kogalniceanu, in the south-east, many military bases in Romania are playing host this month to the Saber Guardian 2017 exercise. Hosted by other neighbouring countries as well and led by the US Army Europe, this is the largest and most complex exercise carried out on Romanian territory in recent years, as the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has pointed out.

Around 20 NATO member and partner states are taking part with a significant number of troops and technical resources, which, according to the Romanian diplomacy, lends the exercise an important military role, contributing to the consolidation of defence and deterrence on the eastern flank of the North-Atlantic Alliance and the development of interoperability between the participating countries.

The exercise also represents a confirmation of the solidity of the Trans-Atlantic relationship and of the bilateral strategic partnership between Romania and the United States, which was signed 20 years ago, the Foreign Ministry also notes. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the commander of U.S. Army Europe, also hailed the excellent bilateral military cooperation and the efforts made by Romania to modernise its army. Bucharest, which he described as a reliable partner, will this year allocate 2% of the GDP to defence, said the American army official, who praised the quality of the young Romanian military and their commanders and their commitment to contributing to the security of the Black Sea area.

Romania is a consistent and trustworthy partner, the Czech general Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, also said. He hailed Romania's contribution to NATO's operations, saying this country is one of top ten contributors to the Afghanistan mission. Coming from a central-European country occupied by the Soviets for half a century, general Pavel was keen to emphasise, for Radio Romania, that NATO's actions to strengthen its eastern flank are not meant as a threat to Russia. He said the Alliance simply wishes to be ready at any time to counteract any potential act of aggression, while being always willing to engage in dialogue with Russia.

Romania's president Klaus Iohannis also attended a Saber Guardian exercise at the shooting range in Cincu, where the Romanian military trained alongside troops from the United States, Ukraine, Armenia and Croatia backed by American and Romanian aircraft.

Although the opponent was unnamed, the exercise comes at a time when the West is concerned about a more aggressive Russia, notes the American magazine Stars and Stripes, which recalls that in the last three years, the US has led larger and more intensive operations meant to boost the ability of allies to fight together.