RSS
600 more militaries to be stationed in Romania by the US
President Traian Basescu sent a note to the joint Parliament Bureaus about a request made by the US to increase the number of American militaries stationed in Romania, Digi24 TV station informs. The Americans’ request is about 600 soldiers to be stationed at Mihail Kogalniceanu military base.
The head of state also informed the Legislative body that according to law 291/2007 about foreign armed forces on Romanian territory he had approved the premier’s suggestions referring to the US request.Traian Basescu mentioned that the request made by the US Embassy referred to the dislocation of elements of the marine unit called Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crises Response (SP MAGTF-CR) with 600 militaries and a number of military aircraft needed for the implementation of specific missions,” Mediafax shows. According to the source the overall number of US militaries used for the temporary mission on Kolgalniceanu Airport for the support of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF) operations and for specific missions of the SP MAGTF-CR unit is of maximum 1,600 militaries.Law 291/2007 stipulates that the setting up on Romanian territory of foreign military bases or commands is done with Parliament approval.
US militaries from Joint Task Force East came in the summer of 2010 to the new 50 million dollar base in Kogalniceanu, Constanta county. The air base from Mihail Kogalniceanu became a transport knot for US equipment and soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
Lieutenant-colonel Daniel Herrigstad, the head of the PR office of Joint Task Force East announced in November 2009 that the military base can host up to 1,600 militaries from ground troops , air and naval forces and will be used both by Romanian and American militaries.
The US Army chose the base as transit facility when the Kirgizstan parliament refused last year to extend the leasing contract for Manas base.
Kogalniceanu base is used for the withdrawal of American soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, a process planned to be over by the end of the year and as transit center for 10,000 US army instructors who will continue to train the Afghan army for two more years, in case the Kabul authorities sign the bilateral security accord with the US.