ALBA IULIA, Romania — On the Mures river in central Romania, French armoured vehicles and Romanian trucks board a motorized floating bridge, part of a large military exercise to showcase NATO’s ability to rapidly increase force levels on its eastern flank facing Russia.

The drill — planned for months and seen as an “integration exercise” for NATO members — comes after Washington last week said it would pull some troops out from the area.

Romania, which shares some 650 kilometres (400 miles) of border with Ukraine, has gained in strategic importance since Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022.

In the Dacian Fall exercise from October 20 to November 13, French-led troops from Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Spain are engaged in manoeuvres and live-fire artillery and tank drills, together w

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