36_201707200568 - GORDON WELTERS / Photographer | Germany ☎ +49-170-834 66 83

GERMANY, Novo Selo Training Area (NSTA), BULGARIA – JULY 20, 2017:
Saber Guardian 17 (SG17) is the largest of the Black Sea Region exercises and is enabled by several smaller U.S., Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Romanian exercises. Approximately 40,000 troops from 30 countries’ military forces will participate in these exercises in the Black Sea Region.

Here: Bulgarian T-72 tanks during the Live Fire Exercise at Novo Selo Training Area (NSTA). The dynamic display demonstrate the joint action of a multinational battalion combat team defendig in a joint operations area. The task groups from Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece and USA are participants in the exercise Eagle Sentinel 17.

EAGLE SENTINEL 2017 is a multinational exercise that takes place from July 17–20, 2017 at NSTA. The exercise is a multinational LFX/FTX, with integration of armor, aviation and light infantry forces from four ally and partner nations. EAGLE SENTINEL 17 facilitates 4th Infantry Division’ 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team (3/4ABCT), second massing during their nine month rotation to Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. EAGLE SENTINEL 17 will allow the Georgia contribution to the NATO Response Force to rehearse their company training objectives prior NOBLE PARTNER 17. Participants include 650 U.S. Soldiers from 3/4ABCT; 140 Georgian Soldiers from an infantry company; 60 Bulgarian Land Force Soldiers from a tank platoon and an artillery battery; and 20 Greek Soldiers from a tank company and platoon. EAGLE SENTINEL 17 is the FTX/LFX portion of SG17 located at NSTA.

CREDIT: Gordon Welters for The New York Times
For a story by Eric Schmitt.