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Poland to hold joint military exercises with US mid-2016

PR dla Zagranicy
Alicja Baczyńska 27.11.2015 10:25
Next June, up to 15,000 US soldiers will take part in large-scale military exercises in Poland and the Baltic States.
Lt. Gen Hodges (R) and US Ambassador to Poland Jones (L) led the conference. Photo: PAP/Jakub KamińskiLt. Gen Hodges (R) and US Ambassador to Poland Jones (L) led the conference. Photo: PAP/Jakub Kamiński

The maneuvers are to be a capability demonstration ahead of the NATO summit in Warsaw.

Several thousand troops will take part in the largest such exercise, dubbed "Anaconda 2016", announced US Army Commander in Europe Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges at a gathering organised by the Center for European Policy in the Polish capital on Thursday.

The event was attended by US Ambassador to Poland, Paul Wayne Jones.

The military training is to take in both troops stationed in Europe and airborne forces deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The US Lieutenant General confirmed that following the Anaconda maneuvers some 600 units of US military equipment, constituting a half of the basic inventory for a heavy US Army brigade, is to be stationed in Central and Eastern Europe.

Hodges, meanwhile, affirmed that the United States was not looking to ramp up permanent US presence in Europe, citing state budget deficit and the US Congress's expectation that NATO's allied forces take on more responsibilities within the framework.

He did, however, speak in favour of boosting rotational forces in the region. (aba/rg/rk)

Source: PAP

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