Sergeant Major Nicolae Sved (civilian clothes), of

Sergeant Major Nicolae Sved (civilian clothes), of the Moldovan National Army speaks with Moldovan Soldiers embedded with the 236th Brigade Engineer Battalion participating in Operation Hickory Sting, June 28 – July 20, 2019. Over 100 Moldovan Soldiers are participating in the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team’s (ABCT) Operation Hickory Sting at the National Training Center. Moldova, a State Partnership Program member with the North Carolina National Guard since 1996, deployed to join the nearly 4,200 Soldiers of the 30th ABCT. Operation Hickory Sting will provide all participants the best, toughest and most current combat training available in the U.S. Army preparing the ABCT for deployment overseas later this fall. (U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Sgt. Odaliska Almonte, North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs)