Saber Guardian 2017 the largest military exercise conducted on Romania's soil

Approximately 25,000 servicemen from 22 NATO member states and allies and over 3,000 combat means participated in the Saber Guardian 17 (SG17), the largest military exercise conducted on Romania's soil, says a release of the National Defence Ministry (MApN) quoted by Agerpres.

The SG17 displayed an impressive force on the territories of Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, following a fictitious scenario in which more than 25,000 troops, with more than 3,000 technical means, of which 90 combat and transport aircraft, carried out military operations for the release of a portion of the territory occupied by a hostile force.

"The SG17 proved the reaction and deterrence capacity of the allied and partner states in a collective defense scenario, by exercising the projection of force. Only on Romania's soil, approximately 70 train sets, over 400 auto convoys, approximately 50 air flights and a maritime transport ship have gathered this impressive force, with exercises being conducted in over 20 shooting ranges, training centers and deployment districts," the release points out.

During the exercise, the servicemen have conducted a large range of operations in a multinational, inter-armed and joint context: air assault, tactical marches, operations on water courses, fire guiding, maneuvers and real shootings with the technique of all forces categories, medical evacuation and treatment of wounded.

For the impeccable performance of all the personnel, equipment and ammunition maneuvers in various countries, combat firing drills and other sequences, the General Staff structures have coordinated the operations as being the host country.

The Joint Forces Command has coordinated the activities of all national, allied and partner structures participating in the exercise on the national territory, from the Advanced Command Point situated at the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" garrison.

"The main task was to synchronize the deployment of the SG17 integrated and associated national exercises led by the the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) that was possible by staying permanently connected to the Command Point of the Multinational Division in Novo Selo, Bulgaria,'' the MApN mentioned.

Furthermore, the Communications and Information Command and the Joint Logistics Command have supported the military exercise in terms of special equipment.

The Romanian Army participated in the exercise with approximately 8,000 servicemen of the land forces and 1,000 technical means, over 1,000 servicemen of the air forces, over 40 aircraft and almost 800 servicemen of the naval forces, with 10 combat ships and logistic support, 12 watercraft and 18 land means.

One of the most complex operations was forcing the Danube River, where approximately 1,600 servicemen with over 400 technical means have crossed the water course in contact with the enemy, being supported by aircraft and river ships.

For the first time in a major military exercise that was carried out in Romania, in a realistic scenario, it were exercised the transportation and treatment of wounded, by the deployment of three NATO ROL 2 hospitals (212 U.S. Campaign, ROL 2 Medical School of the Romanian Armed Forces and Balkan Medical School), an operation coordinated nationwide by the Medical Directorate.

In order to ensure transparency, between 12 - 18 July, 25 delegates from 13 member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have been observing the SG17 exercise. The delegates had the possibility to watch from the ground or helicopters, the areas where different sequences were being conducted, the size and layout of troops in the field.

The observation activity was organized in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Document 2011 on confidence and security measures in the OSCE space, Chapter 6 - and Security in the OSCE Area, Chapter VI - Observation of certain military activities.