WIESBADEN, Germany -- A Russian inspection team visited Bulgaria's Novo Selo Training Area, Nov. 24, to conduct an inspection under the Vienna Document 2011 Confidence and Security-Building Measures.
While at the training area, the inspection team received a capabilities brief of the range and current exercises.
U.S. troops from 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, and 1st Battalion, 61st Mechanized Brigade, from the Bulgarian Land Forces were participating in Exercise Peace Sentinel, in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, during the inspection.
Lt. Col. Christopher Mahaffey, squadron commander, 5-7th Cav. Regt., briefed the inspectors on his unit's participation in the exercise, which ended Nov. 25.
Also on hand for the inspection were liaison officers from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency-Europe.
"The Defense Threat Reduction Agency -- Europe liaison officer teams have two missions: protect U.S. assets and facilitate the rights of the inspection team," explained Maj. Michael Tobias, a deputy team chief for DTRA-Europe. "These two person teams deploy to partner nations where U.S. assets are stationed either permanently or temporarily, whenever an inspection is declared. The presence of these teams provides confidence to the U.S. representatives on the ground, and helps facilitate our goal of being transparent with regard to our operations in Europe."
The Vienna Document 2011 is composed of politically binding confidence and security-building measures designed to increase openness and transparency concerning military activities conducted inside the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's zone of application.
A variety of information exchanges, on-site inspections, evaluation visits, observation visits and other military-to-military contacts take place according to Vienna Document 2011 provisions. For the United States and Canada, only military forces and activities inside the zone of application are impacted.
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