A contingent of the National Army on June 28 left for California to participate in the exercise “Agile Hunter 2019”. The Moldovan officers and sub-officers will train alongside the U.S. armed forces, including soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard, at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California between June 28 and July 19, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the goals of the exercise are to increase the level of interoperability between the subunits of the two armies, to strengthen their defense capacities and to prepare Moldovan service members for peacekeeping operations. The participation by Moldovan soldiers in the training exercise in the U.S. is envisioned in the external activity plan of the Ministry of Defense and the National Army for 2019.

The exercise “Agile Hunter” is staged through the Partnership Program with the North Carolina National Guard and is held the fourth consecutive year. The first two editions took place in Moldova, while last year the exercise was held in Fort Bliss, Texas, during August 10-28.