<p>TIRANA, Albania — NATO has launched joint military exercises in Albania with thousands of military forces from the United States and other countries in the first such large-scale drills since World War II in the Western Balkans, a U.S. army official said Thursday.</p>
<p>Col. Joseph Scrocca said “a staunch NATO ally since 2009, Albania is a valued security partner — both regionally and globally.”</p>
<p>Albania is playing a critical part in the DEFENDER-Europe 21 exercise with Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore operations taking place “for the first time in Europe since World War II at the Port of Durres,” Scrocca said in an online briefing.</p>
<p>The sealift ship USNS Bob Hope will demonstrate the unloading of heavy equipment onto smaller vessels that will transfer the cargo to shore for onward movement.</p>
<p>Since April 26, U.S. troops have been deployed to hold training in five other military land, naval and air bases in Albania until June 10.</p>
<p>Most Western Balkans countries — Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia — are NATO members.</p>
<p>“This historic mission demonstrates our ability to serve as a strategic security partner in the western Balkans and Black Sea regions,” Scrocca said.</p>
<p>DEFENDER-Europe is an annual large-scale U.S. Army-led, multinational exercise, defensive in nature and focused on deterring aggression, which this year focuses on building operational readiness and interoperability with NATO and a greater number of allies and partners over a wider area of operations than ever before. </p>
<p>Around 28,000 U.S., allied and partner forces from 26 nations will conduct nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in more than a dozen nations from the Baltics and Africa to the critical Black Sea and Balkan regions.</p>
<p>“Exercises like DEFENDER-Europe 21 are a prime example of our collective capabilities,” Scrocca said.</p>
