NOVO SELO, Bulgaria - A Russian inspection team visited Bulgaria's Novo Selo Training Area April 20 to conduct an inspection under the Vienna Document 2011 Confidence and Security-Building Measures.
The inspection came as Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment are training with the Bulgarian 38th Mechanized Battalion for Exercise Strike Back at Novo Selo. Providing access to exercises like Strike Back ensures transparency to the Army's training in Europe.
While at the training area, the inspection team received an update on the exercise and a capabilities brief of the range.
Strike Back is a Bulgarian Armed Forces exercise that will certify the Bulgarian 38th Mech. Bn. to respond to crisis operations. The inclusion of Soldiers from 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division helps build relationships between the NATO allies while making sure they are able to fight as a combined force.
"We are honored to be here and train with the Bulgarians to increase interoperability and to showcase how strong we are when we work together," said Capt. Samuel Herbert, the commander for Company A, 1st Bn., 64th Arm. Rgmt. "As two different armies we are coming together under one chain of command to conduct some really great training in a great training area."
Also on hand for the inspection were liaison officers from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency-Europe.
DTRA teams act as liaisons for inspections by protecting U.S. assets while also facilitating the rights of the inspection team to make sure the Army's training in Europe continues to be transparent.
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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