U.S. Marines accompanied by tanks, artillery, and light-armored reconnaissance vehicles have arrived in Bulgaria, part of a plan to train with allies to improve weapons skills and antiarmor tactics.
The U.S. Marine Corps Forces said on August 25 that some 160 Marines accompanied the tanks and artillery, which are traveling to the Novo Selo Training Range, a major military base in eastern Bulgaria, as part of the Black Sea Rotational Force. They will stay initially for three six-month rotations.
Marine leaders say the troop movement adds to U.S. and NATO reassurance efforts in Eastern Europe, where countries remain nervous over recent Russian assertiveness.
The Black Sea Rotational Force is a semiannual rotation of Marines and sailors under the U.S. European Command. It is based at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base in Romania near the Black Sea port of Constanta.
