Prague, March 20 (CTK) – A military convoy of 125 vehicles and 550 U.S. and British troops will cross the Czech Republic next weekend, driving from Germany to Poland where they will operate within NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, the Czech General Staff told CTK on Monday.
A U.S. army convoy driving through the country in 2015 aroused a lot of attention among both the Czech supporters and opponents of NATO, however, people welcoming the soldiers clearly prevailed over protesters. Further transfers of U.S. soldiers had a relatively calm atmosphere.
General Staff spokesman Jan Sulc said nearly 550 troops will enter the country in Rozvadov, drive through Stara Boleslav near Prague and leave the country near Nachod, east Bohemia. Most of the route will be motorways and main roads, he said.
The military convoy, most of whose members will be U.S. troops, will be moving through the country maximally 48 hours. The troops will spend the night from Saturday to Sunday in the barracks in Stara Boleslav.
The convoy will be divided in seven parts for security reasons and in order to avoid traffic jams. It will be accompanied by the Czech civilian and military police.
Based on NATO’s Warsaw Summit 2016, four multinational battlegroups will be deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to enhance the military presence in the territory this year.
