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NATO Allies Romania and the United States trained together with soldiers from the Republic of Moldova - a NATO partner country - during exercise Rapid Trident 2023 improving their interoperability.

NATO Allies Romania and the United States strengthened their relations with the Republic of Moldova – a NATO partner – through exercise Rapid Trident 2023, which was held in Moldova from 10 to 22 September.


Troops from the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, currently deployed to Romania, and the Romanian Army trained in land navigation, small unit tactics and combat casualty care, alongside more than 200 personnel from the Moldovan Army. Soldiers became acquainted with each other’s standard operating procedures, improving their ability to work effectively together in a crisis situation.
Bordering Romania and Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Relations with NATO started in 1992, when Moldova joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, a forum for dialogue bringing together all Allies and partner countries in the Euro-Atlantic area and which was succeeded by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In 1994, the country joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. The programme fosters practical bilateral cooperation and allows partners to build an individual relationship with NATO, choosing their own priorities for cooperation. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO Allies pledged to help strengthen Moldovan security institutions and increase their resilience.

TRANSCRIPT (AUDIO AND TEXT ON SCREEN)

--SOUNDBITE IN ROMANIAN— SOLDIER 3RD CLASS VASILE GLUHOI, Moldovan Armed Forces
“In the open fields, we learned that we should stay close to the ground, so that we are not easily seen. In a field, as dispersed as possible, but in a forest, in a line.”

--TEXT ON SCREEN--

THESE CONSCRIPTS ARE LEARNING
HOW TO MOVE EFFECTIVELY IN DIFFERENT TERRAIN
TRAINING ALONGSIDE ALLIED FORCES
IN MOLDOVA
SOLDIERS PARTICIPATING IN THE DRILLS
WERE ABLE TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE
AND BUILD TRUST

--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH— CAPTAIN VINNY BARTRAM, 101st Airborne Division, US Army
“I think it's important just to know how they fight, how we fight and how we can fight together. And we're just trying to find a way to tie those together to make us as effective as we can be. You know, if something ever occurs that would require us to work together and integrate a secure force.”

--TEXT ON SCREEN--

THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA DECLARED ITS INDEPENDENCE
FROM THE SOVIET UNION IN 1991
IN 1992 THE COUNTRY STARTED COOPERATING WITH NATO

WITH THE SHARED GOAL OF IMPROVING INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH— MAJOR VITALIE CRECIUN, 2nd Brigade, Moldovan Armed Forces

“My view as a battalion commander to train with different countries or different nations together, for me, it's a different experience. I would say it's a big exchange of experience for the partnership and I see it in a positive way.”

--SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH— CAPTAIN VINNY BARTRAM, 101st Airborne Division, US Army
“So increasing overall security in this region is something that we want to strive for.”

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