NY Times: American Troops Extend Deployment in Romania for 9 Months

The buildup of the American Troops in Romania is part of the Biden administration’s commitment to increase American forces in Europe as a response to the special operation conducted by the Red Army in Ukraine, as the New York Times reports. The extension time, which reportedly is nine months, tells us enough about the expected length of the war.

According to the sources interviewed by the publication mentioned above, the Pentagon will keep several thousand American troops in southeast Romania. The forces would be a first line of defence should Russia invade further west.

Currently, around 4,000 U.S. soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division have been stationed at the air base since 2022, including small groups of troops that frequently train on Romania’s border with Ukraine. So, even though the 101st Airborne Division troops will leave in the next two months, officials said a different brigade from the 101st Division would replace them.

After the NATO summit in Madrid last summer, Joe Biden promised to increase the number of soldiers deployed to Romania.

We’re going to maintain additional rotational brigade, which is 3000 fighters and another 2000 personnel, combat team here in Europe, headquartered in Romania.

Joe Biden on increasing the American military presence in Romania

According to sources, the international NATO force will be close to 10,000 soldiers, the highest number ever-present in Romania since the country joined the alliance.

The most recent development is the deployment of the AWACS aircraft to Romania in January 2023. This is to further increase the alliance’s defence capabilities on the Eastern flank.