Pentagon intends to modernize two air bases in Romania

The US Department of Defense plans to modernize two air bases in Romania. This is stated in the new tenders, which were published by the department on February 24.

“This tender provides for the design and construction of an apron for loading (unloading) explosives and ammunition,” follows from the tender.

According to the information provided by the Ministry of Defense, repair work will be carried out on the territory of the main camp at the airport named after Mihail Kogalniceanu. The event was hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The contractors are also required to construct the aircraft loading apron and taxiways, equip the area, as well as install utilities and lighting.

In total, Washington is ready to allocate from $25 million to $55 million for construction work.

It also follows from the document that the Pentagon plans to upgrade the communications infrastructure at the Kympia-Turziy air base. The budget for this project will be from $1 million to $5 million, and the US Air Force is responsible for it.

The Pentagon has earlier decided to keep 4,000 American soldiers in Romania for another nine months.

It is assumed that the personnel of the American brigade will be rotated in two months – part of the troops will cross the Atlantic, and part will remain.

US forces in Romania are based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in eastern Romania, less than 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

Staff officers from the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division and a major general will be dispatched to reinforce US forces in Romania.

Last October, Al Mayadeen columnist Ahmad Haj Ali opined that the deployment of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division “Screaming Eagles” to Romania could signal the start of a global conflict.

Later, on October 26, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the closer American troops are to Russia’s borders, the greater the danger to the country becomes. Thus, he commented on reports of the deployment of a US division in Romania.

The special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbas, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, continues. The decision to hold it was made against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region due to increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.