The President of Romania announced that the Supreme Defense Council has approved the deployment of US military equipment in the country. These are refueling aircraft and satellite communication equipment.
Romania has approved the temporary deployment of US military equipment at the Black Sea air base to support military operations in the Middle East. These are refueling aircraft and satellite communication equipment.
“Defensive equipment”
“I emphasize that this is defensive equipment”, said the country's President Nikosor Dan. “They will be deployed, with the approval of the parliament, based on our partnership with the United States. This is equipment that ensures the security of Romania. I assure the Romanians that they have no reason to worry. Their country is safe”.
Washington wants to send several aircraft to the “Mihail Cogalnicanu” air base, where larger-scale logistical operations and refueling will be carried out, writes “Bloomberg”. According to sources of the Romanian news portal Digi24, American forces and equipment will also be deployed to another military base - Campia Turzi. Along with the equipment, the military personnel necessary to service it - about 400-500 people - will arrive. According to the same sources, the deployment will be approved for a period of 90 days. If the mission is extended, the procedure will have to be re-approved.
The air base is an active operational center
The decision was made at a meeting of the Romanian Supreme Defense Council, convened by President Nikos Dan. This will be followed by a meeting of the defense committees of parliament, which will provide the necessary opinions and a report, and then a joint plenary session of the two chambers of parliament, which must finally approve the decision.
The United States asked Romania to use the Black Sea military base after Madrid refused to allow the US military to use bases in Spain for the operation against Iran. The Mihail Kogalniceanu air base is an active operational center: American, German and Spanish military forces are stationed there and aerial surveillance missions are also carried out from it. Last year, the military base hosted large-scale military exercises, with air defense and rapid response scenarios involving allied air and ground forces. Currently, about 1,200 American soldiers are stationed in Romania.