NATO is expected to build its largest base in Europe in the south-east of Romania, neighbouring Ukraine. The base will be established within the existing Mihail Kogălniceanu facility. The base will be enlarged by more than 2,300 hectares.
The new base will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 military personnel, their families and support personnel. The facility will be about 3,000 hectares, the cost of construction is estimated at 2.5 billion euros.
Base commander Nicolae Cresu said the base would be fully operational in 2040. Today, there are about 3,000 military men stationed at the base. US troops have been using the Mihail Kogalniceanu base since 1999.
The first stage of expansion works is to be completed in five years. The construction of another runway will begin soon; the airport infrastructure of the base will be developed as well. Hangars for military aircraft, as well as schools, kindergartens, shops and a hospital will be built on the territory of the base in the future.
The number of NATO soldiers at the base increased in 2022. More than 1,800 troops, hundreds of vehicles and other military equipment were transferred to the base in eastern Romania near the Black Sea. There are 1,900 US soldiers, about 500 French and about 300 Belgian military personnel stationed at the base.