Closest NATO Troop Unit to Ukraine War Shows Off in Romania

Illustration of NATO military exercises. (Source: NATO)

JAKARTA - The unit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops closest to the war in Ukraine, is conducting scheduled military exercises in anticipation of a possible invasion.

Based in Romania near Ukraine's southern border, NATO troops hold rehearsals in anticipation of enemy forces advancing from the north.

The NATO combat group, consisting of French and Dutch soldiers, is deployed there as a direct result of Ukraine's war with Ukraine.

They were prepared in anticipation of war spilling over to the Romanian border, although no one has openly discussed the possibility.

Meanwhile, officials said their drills were part of a 'routine' exercise.

"The context is different, but the training remains the same," said Colonel Christophe Degand, commander of NATO's Forward Presence Battlegroup in Romania.

"There was a global trend within the armed forces to practice peer-to-peer combat that was going on before the Ukraine crisis, so I think we've done a pretty good job imagining what the next conflict will be."

"We are the closest unit deployed to the crisis (in Ukraine), so it has specific elements, but I don't see a big change in training."