Scholz oversees military exercise of US, German troops

BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday visited US and German troops participating in a military exercise at the Cologne-Wahn Air Base.

“Thank you for participating, thank you for all what you do for our common security, we really appreciate it,” Scholz told soldiers, after receiving a briefing from the commanders.

The joint military exercise was focused on transporting troops and military equipment to NATO’s eastern flank, in response to a potential Russian military buildup at its western borders.

Scholz said Russia’s war on Ukraine has been a historic turning point for Europe, and underlined that Germany and its allies will continue to take measures to strengthen their security.

“It's good to see that we've managed to build the necessary structures in such a short time, this is functioning and can be developed further,” Scholz said, referring to the cooperation between different military units and security agencies.

“From this exercise, we will learn how we can further develop our infrastructure so that we can guarantee our security,” he added.

During the military exercise, troops and security agencies have also practiced how to prevent sabotage acts against NATO convoys, according to the military.