An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | July 25, 2008

JTF-East training rotating from Romania to Bulgaria

By xxxC. Todd Lopez Army News Service

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU AIR BASE, Romania - About 900 U.S. Soldiers are now beginning their final week of training with Romanian troops at ranges in the eastern half of this former Warsaw Pact nation.

The month-long training at MK Air Base, under Joint Task Force-East, has already included an airborne operation, live-fire exercises at squad level, military operations in urban terrain, joint patrolling, situational training exercises, and medical training.

The training under JTF-E is part of an initiative to strengthen relationships between the United States and its Eastern European allies, officials said. They said this is the second year training has been facilitated by JTF-E -- the first rotation, a "proof of principle" demonstration, happened last year.

This month's training in Romania is actually the first part of this year's JTF-E rotation.

Beginning in August, JTF-E will facilitate multi-national training for additional U.S. Soldiers in Bulgaria. Training there will last until November.

The training in Romania involved Soldiers from U.S. installations in Germany, along with members of the New Mexico National Guard and the Utah National Guard. Also included were 280 soldiers from the Romanian Army's 21st Mountain Battalion and 200 soldiers from the Bulgarian Army's 10th Company, 5th Infantry Battalion.

Spc. Eric Trujillo and Sgt. Adam Ortega, part of the New Mexico National Guard, were among those participating in military operations on urban terrain training at Babadag Training Area -- a range about 35 miles northwest of MK Airbase.

During the training, their units entered an area held by an opposing force -- played by Romanian soldiers -- and attempted to secure the area and capture a high-value target. To accomplish their mission, the Soldiers used weapons similar to what they might use in Iraq, but were instead loaded with "simmunitions," non-lethal projectiles with a paintball-type marker.

Trujillo said the Romanians made worthy foes.

"As the OPFOR, our opponents out there -- they gave us a run for our money," Trujillo said.

In fact, the Romanians performed their role as the opposing force so well, the New Mexico unit was unable to acquire their target. But that didn't stop the unit from performing well in the other areas of their mission.

"We didn't get our suspect, but we did good," Ortega said. "We moved as a good element across the field, clearing the buildings we had to do, and pushed through this whole village and we did good."

Ortega said he thinks the training in Romania is good for units who will deploy downrange, and he should know, he recently returned from Iraq.

"It's really good three-dimensional warfare here; we are out in the open and we get to practice our 360-security all the time, every movement we make," he said. "We always have to be watching to our left, to our right, to our rear. And it's good -- especially for these new guys."

Right now, the presence of the U.S. military in Romania and Bulgaria is small, but the Army is constructing billeting, unit operations, maintenance support, and recreation facilities on the former 34th Mechanized Brigade Base to support and house about 1,700 Soldiers, said George Bostick, the deputy commander of JTF-E.

"We are building a permanent forward operating station here," Bostick said. "It's important for us for the quality of life for the Soldier. If we are going to be here over an extended length of time, we have to get them out of bunk beds. We are building an installation -- a kaserne -- like we have in Germany for our Soldiers.

At the end of the 2008 round of training, JTF-E will begin planning next year's training and will continue to work on developing and maintaining facilities in both Romania and Bulgaria, Bostick said, including improved support facilities for Soldiers.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Air Force dental technician completes a dental X-ray for a local resident during Operation Healthy Tennessee, Rhea County Middle School, Evensville, Tenn., July 10, 2025. Operation Healthy Tennessee provides no-cost medical, dental, vision and veterinary services to the residents of Bledsoe and Rhea County, as well as the surrounding areas while satisfying training requirements for active-duty, reserve and Air National Guard service members and units.
Operation Healthy Tennessee: Where Readiness Meets Relief
By Staff Sgt. Sarah Stalder Lundgren, | July 22, 2025
EVENSVILLE, Tenn. - More than 200 service members from the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Navy Reserve and U.S. Air Force Reserve participated in Operation Healthy Tennessee, part of the...

Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) returned home July 19, 2025, following a successful year-long deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission. The members were enthusiastically greeted by friends and family as they made their way into the Camp Withycombe gymnasium in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Oregon Guard Brigade Returns After Kosovo Deployment
By Maj. Wayne Clyne, | July 22, 2025
CLACKAMAS, Ore. - Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, returned home July 19 after a successful year-long deployment to Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force...

U.S. Army Maj. Troy Dandrea, brigade chaplain, 17th Sustainment Brigade, prays over Soldiers in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 14, 2024.
Nevada Guard Brigade Returning From Middle East Deployment
By Sgt. Adrianne Lopez, | July 22, 2025
LAS VEGAS - After 10 months of conducting logistical operations across the Middle East, the Nevada Army National Guard’s 17th Sustainment Brigade is coming back home to the Silver State with its Task Force Warrior mission...