In Russia's Shadow, U.S. Military Bulks Up European Presence
Thousands of troops from 20 nations led by the U.S. have been carrying out essentially one-sided warfare for most of the past month in southeast Europe.
In a bucolic valley nestled in Romania's Carpathian mountains, herds of sheep graze the hillsides. Then, suddenly, all hell breaks loose.
Volleys of live artillery fire thunder across a wide hollow. Stryker fighting vehicles charge down a hillside as troops in camouflage brandish automatic rifles as they scramble through tall grasses.
Welcome to . Billed as "promoting peace and stability in the Black Sea region," it's a U.S.-led multinational military exercise now in its third — and biggest yet-- year in Romania, as well as in neighboring Bulgaria and Hungary. Twenty-five thousand troops from
