The modernization and expansion of the 57th Air Force Base “Mihail Cogalnicanu“ in Constanta County with an investment by the Romanian government of over 2.5 billion. euros will transform this place into a “regional strategic center of NATO“, capable of hosting up to 10,000 Romanian and allied military personnel, reports the Agerpres agency, citing defense sources, writes BTA.
The Romanian investment is structured for 20 years and will be implemented in four stages, the agency states.
A large part of the total of 1,700 American military personnel deployed in Romania are based precisely at the “Mihail Kogalniceanu“ base. The presence of US forces on Romanian territory strengthens regional stability and discourages external threats, Agerpres notes.
Defense sources told the agency that all agreements between Romania and the US, including those regulating the US military presence in the country, are in force, respected and constantly adapted to the development of the security situation in the region.
In this sense, strategic facilities located in military bases on Romanian territory, such as US forces deployed on a rotational basis at the 57th Air Base “Mihail Kogalniceanu“ or the Aegis Ashore missile defense system, installed at the Deveselu 99 base, which is integrated into the NATO missile defense system, "are clear evidence of the joint Romanian-American commitment to collective allied security," the sources said.
American and European military sources were recently quoted by NBC News as saying that US Department of Defense officials are considering withdrawing nearly 10,000 US troops from Eastern Europe, specifically from Romania and Poland.
Former commander of US forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, said a few days ago in an interview with Digi 24 that it is possible that US troops from the Mihail Cogalnicanu base to be withdrawn due to the new administration's drive for savings in the Pentagon budget.
Romania's interim president, Ilie Bologian, said at a press conference last week that there was no discussion or official information confirming that the US administration was considering withdrawing about 10,000 US troops from Eastern Europe, specifically from Romania and Poland.
However, Bologian clarified that respecting the commitment to NATO did not mean that there could not be a certain redeployment or relocation within the organization, which he said was happening all the time.