On November 30, at cincu Stadium (Romania), key European artillery and tank units completed an important exercise under French command. This is an activity to test the combat readiness of European forces in the scenario of having to defend the eastern flank of NATO without the comprehensive participation of the US military.
The context of the exercise comes as the US administration begins to adjust its military presence in the old continent. The US has just announced plans to reduce the number of troops stationed in Romania from 1,700 to about 1,000 people, and is considering similar moves in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary. This poses an urgent problem for the defense autonomy of European countries.
The actual drill pointed out significant "bottlenecks" in terms of logistics. Military officials noted that due to limited cross-border transport infrastructure, the movement of troops and support between allies to the frontline has encountered many obstacles.
General Maxime Do Tran, commander of the French armored Brigade, said his unit took up to 10 days to travel to Romania, which would be used by air, rail and road across several countries.
The delay in transportation means that if a bad situation occurs, Romania's on-site forces will have to hold on to it while waiting for the soldiers. In addition, military experts say that although Europe can be autonomous in infantry, they still rely heavily on the US in strategic factors such as missile defense systems, air force, intelligence and long-range precision attack capabilities.
With changes in US policy, European countries are stepping up intra-bloc cooperation to fill the gap. Romania is currently using EU defense funds to modernize the military and develop the domestic arms industry. At the same time, Romania is also in talks with partners such as France to increase its replacement military presence.
Commenting on this trend, French General Philippe de Montenon said that the gradual adjustment of US commitments to Europe is becoming a historical reality, forcing countries here to quickly improve their self-defense capabilities against security fluctuations in the region.
