Polish 7th Mounted Rifles Battalion trains with US forces ahead of Combined Resolve VII

A Polish fighting vehicle with the 6th Mechanized Company, 7th Mounted Rifles Battalion, moves forward while another provides security on the ridgeline during an advance-to-contact enhanced maneuver training exercsie at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, on Sep. 2, 2016. The Polish soldiers were practicing how to maneuver their armored vehicles through the mountains and forests of Germany in anticipation of tough simulated fights during Combined Resolve VII. Combined Resolve VII is a 7th Army Training Command, U.S. Army Europe-directed exercise taking place at the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas, Aug. 8 to Sept. 15, 2016. The exercise is designed to train the Army's regionally allocated forces to the U.S. European Command. Combined Resolve VII includes more than 3,500 participants from 16 NATO and European partner nations. (Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. David L. Nye, 302nd MPAD) (Photo Credit: Sgt. David L. Nye, 302nd MPAD)

The exercise before the exercise.  This does bring up an interesting question though.

How many exercises have we seen in Europe this year?  Doesn't it seem a bit excessive?  We didn't see this much activity at the height of the Cold War so why now?

Everyone makes Russia into the boogeyman, but if I was in their shoes and saw this much training going on I would expect that some type of attack was imminent!  Its almost as if leadership is trying to break the force.  I really wish I understood the thinking here.