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'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Air Base serves as center of gravity for U.S. Afghanistan drawdown
Romanian and U.S. military officials attended alongside representatives of the civil authorities, on Friday afternoon, the inauguration of a new operational facility at the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Air Base located in Constanta County (southeastern Romania).
Attending the event, Brig. Gen. John R. O'Connor, commander of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said the new facility built at the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Base is a military passenger transit center that is to play a key role as a replacement for the Manas transit center in Kyrgyzstan, in the process of troops withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In 2010, Kuwait was the center of gravity for the withdrawal from Iraq, and now in 2014, the 'Mihail Kogalnicanu' base will be the center of gravity for the pullout of Afghanistan, General O'Connor declared at the ceremony.
In turn, Public Affairs Officer of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Col.Wayne Marotto, said that the inaugural event marks an extraordinary opportunity to confirm the Romanian-American partnership.
Our partnership with Romania made it possible to strengthen the multimodal transport capacity of the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' base to sustain our combat troops in global operations. These new facilities highlight the commitment of the United States and partner nations to NATO, the International Stability Force and the regional partners, and the aim and supportive strength of our ongoing efforts at the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' base demonstrate the power of our partnership with Romania and the high level of military cooperation between our countries, said Colonel Marotto.
According to information provided to the media by U.S. military officials, about 20,000-30,000 soldiers who pull out of Afghanistan are expected to move through the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' base that will become a transit point for American soldiers and heavy equipment that will be repatriated to the United States until the end of 2014. The 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Base can accommodate about 2,000 transiting personnel at a time.
Also attending the event was Major General Laurian Anastasof, Chief of Staff of the Romanian Air Force.