NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria - The Romanian soldiers listened intently to their commander, 2nd Lt. Vasile Ionut, as he laid out the plan of action. The commander had to ensure each of his men knew their exact role in the upcoming attack.
Ionut and his platoon, from the 495th Infantry Battalion, Romanian Land Forces, are participants in Platinum Lion 15.1, a multi-national training exercise in Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria. The ‘attack’ was a planned course of training during the mounted patrolling classes, taught by Black Sea Rotational Force Marines from the Combined Anti-Armor Team.
“We trained about urban patrol, mounted patrol, dismounted patrol,” said Ionut. “We are all excited because it’s a great opportunity for us to train with soldiers not just from one country.”
Ionut grew up near Romania’s capital, Bucharest. He joined a military high school in 2006 and has served since then.
“I joined because it’s something that I liked since I was a boy; I like things like uniform and discipline,” said Ionut.
Ionut has trained with Marines before, including operations at Cincu training area with a previous BSRF rotation. These training events, along with Platinum Lion, demonstrate the continued partnership that U.S. troops have with nations in the Black Sea region.
“We have this opportunity to learn something new, something better for us,” said Ionut. “It’s a change of experience, we’re training each other.”