U.S. Air Force and airport personnel inspect a B-52H Stratofortress at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, July 21, 2024. The U.S. is requesting use of the base for ongoing operations in Iran. (Flor Gonzalez/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — The United States is asking permission to use bases in NATO ally Romania for operations in Iran, according to officials in Bucharest, who were expected to decide on the matter this week.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan called a defense council meeting Wednesday to discuss whether to allow U.S. aircraft to carry out such missions, multiple Romanian news agencies reported Wednesday.
The request involves the positioning of fighter planes at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, the Romania Journal reported Tuesday.
The base routinely hosts U.S. military aircraft and personnel in accordance with access and overflight agreements with allies and partners, a Pentagon statement Wednesday said.
“Taking into account operational security for U.S. assets and personnel, further details are not releasable,” the statement said.
The Romanian air base on the Black Sea, referred to as MK by U.S. troops, has been used by American forces in the region since 1999.
On the Romanian council’s formal agenda were “the situation in the Middle East and the implications for Romania” and “analysis of the temporary deployment of military capabilities on Romanian territory,” the Romania Journal reported.
The U.S. military also operates at a separate location in Deveselu, where U.S. troops are part of a NATO air defense mission focused on countering potential threats from Iran.
Over the years, Romania has been eager to cooperate with the U.S. on adding missions in the country, where roughly 1,000 American service members are based.
In October, the Pentagon reduced force levels in Romania when a rotational brigade’s mission in the country ended. However, the Pentagon is considering a new training mission that could involve sending a U.S. tank unit to train with Romanian forces.
Since the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, numerous bases have factored into the American troop buildup in the Middle East.
The situation has brought an uptick in U.S. military air traffic at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and bases used by U.S. forces in the United Kingdom and Greece.