WIESBADEN, Germany —
A decade of building regional stability and strengthening international partnerships continues this August as Moldova, Romania, the North Carolina National Guard, and U.S. Army Europe and Africa kick off Fire Shield 25. The 10th iteration of this Moldovan-led defensive training exercise will be held at the Military Training Base of the National Army from August 4-14, 2025. This also marks nearly 30 years of partnership promoting regional stability with the long-standing partnership between North Carolina and Moldova.
Fire Shield is an annual exercise between the Moldovan National Army and the North Carolina National Guard. This year’s iteration will focus on enhancing staff processes, building readiness and strengthening the professional partnership between service members.
The State Partnership Program between North Carolina and Moldova extends far beyond military-to-military training during exercises as both parties have contributed to successes in education, healthcare, agriculture and the community at large. From exchange student programs sending aspiring nurses and dentists to universities in North Carolina, to founding libraries, the State Partnership has been built on cooperation and professionalism. More information on the National Guard’s SPP can be found at https://ng.nc.gov/about-state-partnership-program.
“Fire Shield is the baseline for building readiness for the Moldovan Army, where the sharing of technical skills and strengthening the partnership between the Moldovan Army and the North Carolina National Guard is a key component of the exercise training objectives,” said Colonel Mark E. Almond, Commander 139th Regional Training Institute, North Carolina National Guard. “This year’s exercise builds on lessons learned over the last 10 years and sets the stage for the next decade of this outstanding exercise.”
Roughly 300 soldiers from Moldova and Romania, and 120 U.S. Army Soldiers will participate in the exercise. Soldiers will strengthen their partnership with joint training cultural events such as traditional patch exchanges, through distinguished leader integration in a closing ceremony on August 14th.
Moldovan citizens near the Military Training Base of the National Army may see military vehicles and soldiers in uniform. Disruptions to traffic patterns and daily movement are not expected.
For more information on Fire Shield 25 and U.S. Army Europe and Africa, please visit https://www.europeafrica.army.mil. For media inquiries, please send an email to media@army.mil.