Photo By Capt. Colin Cutler | Civil leaders from the villages of Cincu, Iacobeni, Merghindeal, and other surrounding...... read more read more
The mayors of Cincu and surrounding towns met recently with Brig. Gen. Gheorghita Vlad, installation commander of the Romanian Joint National Training Center (JNTC), in a meeting attended by Soldiers of the 926th Eng. Bde. and the 83rd Civil Affairs Bn. The attending parties held the meeting to address concerns regarding the many training exercises taking place at the JNTC, Cincu, Romania, and their potential impacts on the surrounding communities in the coming months.
The units’ presence at the JNTC represents a collaborative effort with America’s NATO counterparts in support of an engineering mission entitled Resolute Castle 2017 as well as Operation Atlantic Resolve.
Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division, the 926th Eng. Bde. (United States Army Reserves), the 122nd Eng. Bn. (South Carolina Army National Guard), and troops from nearly a dozen other NATO member nations will be training at the Joint National Training Center this summer.
Hundreds of vehicles and equipment pieces will be moving by road and rail through towns first built for horse and cart. As the civil leaders voiced their concerns during the meeting, Brig. Gen. Vlad described to them the safety measures put in place, including enforcing a lower speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour on military vehicles.
Besides the immediate impact of this summer’s exercises, civil leaders had more long-term questions. Lucian Balas, the president of the local Cow Herders Association, discussed ways grazing land could be fairly shared with the towns and in the training area, where herders regularly graze cows, sheep, goats, and horses.
“We have 700 heads on 200 hectares. It is very hard to feed them,” said Lucian Balas. Brig. Gen. Vlad pointed out that they must also discuss ways to keep people and animals safe on the training area, out of impact areas, and notified when live-fire exercises were scheduled.
The involvement of Civil Affairs is crucial in maintaining good-will between the Joint National Training Center and its civilian neighbors. Capt. Amanda Van Duynhoven said, “With how our presence is growing in the region, along with our partnership and military capacities, we need to make sure it is good for the people in the towns nearby, too.”
Between forecasting possible concerns and addressing them before they become problems, and coordinating projects specifically to aid local communities, Van Duynhoven said, “We give them chances to get to know our soldiers as people while they’re here.”
Capt. Ana Tamas, public affairs officer for Joint National Training Center, detailed previous civil affairs projects that have helped build relationships between the U.S. military, JNTC Representatives, and the Romanian public.
In previous years, the Ohio Air National Guard refurbished the clinic in Cincu, and a school internet technology center was installed by Resolute Castle 16. Tamas said, “It is very important to continue the cooperation between the military and the local authorities and institutions from the area by maintaining a good level of communication to continuously identify and support community projects.”
Resolute Castle 2017, and its oversight element, the 926th Eng. Bde., plan to coordinate with the Civil Affairs Team as well as local community leaders to further demonstrate their commitment to NATO allies in building trust and mutual resolve in defense of the values sanctified in the alliance.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2017 08:03 |
| Story ID: | 236280 |
| Location: | CINCU, RO |
| Hometown: | BIRMINGHAM, AL, US |
| Hometown: | CHARLESTON, SC, US |
| Hometown: | CHATTANOOGA, TN, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBIA, SC, US |
| Hometown: | GREENVILLE, SC, US |
| Hometown: | MOBILE, AL, US |
| Hometown: | MONTGOMERY, AL, US |
| Hometown: | SUMMERVILLE, SC, US |
| Hometown: | TIFTON, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 243 |
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