U.S. Army's military equipment participating in Moldovan-American exercise arrives in Moldova

Chisinau, 3 May /MOLDPRES/ - Two columns of American weapons, 29 units, that will participate in Dragon Pioneer 2016 exercise, entered Moldova through the western  Sculeni border checkpoint today. Another two columns are to cross the state border till today evening.    

The head of the Defence Ministry’s public relations service, Diana Gradinaru, has told MOLDPRES that all the U.S. Army units of military equipment, involved in Dragon Pioneer 2016, would move on the Sculeni-Falesti-Negresti route.    

Fifty eight units of equipment of the U.S. Army will be used in the Dragon Pioneer 2016 drills, of which 11 combat vehicles and combat engineer vehicles, 18 HMMWV manoeuvre machines, 29 transport, medical, engineer vehicles. The National Army will participate with 40 combat engineer vehicles.     

The column of military equipment was met by two groups of people at the crossing of the state border. One group, of the Party of Socialists, was protesting against the participation of U.S. troops in Moldovan-American exercise in Moldova, and the other group met the U.S. servicemen with “Welcome!” placards.   

The drills, in which 198 servicemen of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the United States, 165 military of the engineer and 22nd peacekeeping battalions, as well as the brigades 1, 2 and 3 of the National Army are to participate, will be held on 3-20 May. The goal of the exercise is the joint training of engineer sub-units and improving the level of inter-operability between the two armies.   

Some of the American military involved in the Dragon Pioneer 2016 drills came to Moldova by plane though the Chisinau International Airport. The exercises are organised for the first time being and are part of the bilateral plan of Moldovan-American cooperation in the military sector.

(Reporter V. Rusu, editor M. Jantovan)