**Romania Confirms Arrival of Additional U.S. Troops Amid Ongoing Defense Cooperation**
*Bucharest –* The Romanian Ministry of Defence announced that the United States has deployed an additional 400 soldiers to the country, reinforcing the existing U.S. presence at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base. The information was provided by interim Defence Minister Radu Miruță during a televised interview with Digi24 on Sunday.
**U.S. delegation visit**
The statement followed a visit by a U.S. defence delegation, led by Representatives Mike Rogers and Eric Sorensen, to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base. The delegation was received by President of the Romanian Senate Nicușor Dan. Discussions focused on deepening military and economic ties between the two countries and on security issues in the Black Sea region.
**No indication of a troop withdrawal**
When asked whether the United States plans to reduce its forces in Romania as part of a broader NATO “3.0” restructuring, Miruță said that no such signal has been received. “Up to now, there has been no indication that U.S. troops in Romania will leave. On the contrary, a few months ago an additional 400 U.S. personnel arrived,” he told the broadcaster.
The deployment follows the March meeting of the NATO–Romania Strategic Consultative Group (CSAT), where Romania approved the acquisition of three tanker aircraft, monitoring and telecommunications equipment, and the stationing of the 400‑person U.S. contingent.
**Impact on Romania’s defence posture**
Miruță acknowledged that the departure of any foreign troops would diminish Romania’s deterrence capability, but he emphasized that the country’s defence strength depends on multiple factors, including the number of personnel, military equipment, and broader partnerships. “The defence component is multi‑dimensional and dynamic: the number of soldiers, military hardware, and additional partnerships,” he said.
He also highlighted recent NATO activities, noting that at the NATO summit in Ankara Romania signed agreements for new technologies. Miruță cited the deployment of four drones on Romanian territory and the recent neutralisation of a maritime drone near the Neptun Deep offshore platform as examples of Romania’s growing deterrence capabilities.
**Information campaign on drone incidents**
In the same interview, Miruță announced a national information campaign aimed at educating the public about drone-related incidents and online disinformation. He reported that, in the preceding three days, the Romanian army responded to 18 separate cases involving drone debris, some of which contained explosives. “People are not accustomed to handling drone remnants. The advice is not to touch them until authorities arrive, as they can be very dangerous,” he warned.
The campaign will address both safe behaviour when encountering drone debris and the spread of misinformation online. According to the minister, the Ministry of Defence is preparing material to be presented in 42 locations across the country, leveraging the network of military centres in each county.
**Context**
The statements come amid a reported increase in aerial incidents involving drones near Romania’s border with Ukraine in 2024, according to Mediafax. The Romanian government has been working to enhance its defensive readiness and public awareness in response to these developments.
*Source: Mediafax, reported by Digi24*
Article and image source: jurnalul.ro
