page_title: Romania–United States relations
section_title: U.S military assistance to Romania
hierarchical_section_title: Romania–United States relations / U.S military assistance to Romania
caption_attribution_description: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District is managing the construction of a $134 million Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Complex in Deveselu, Romania. In preparation for construction of this key facility, site activation work totaling $3.3 million has taken place to ready the 269-acre site at Deveselu Air Base for the project. A Romanian contractor, SC Glacial PROD SRL, constructed temporary facilities including offices, containerized housing, a warehouse and vehicle inspection area in support of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense complex project. Key partners representing the U.S., Romania and NATO will officially break ground on the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense project Oct. 28. The Aegis Ashore site in Romania is scheduled to be operational in the 2015 time frame.
context_page_description: Romania–United States relations are the bilateral relations between Romania and the United States. US-Romanian diplomatic relations were formally established in 1880, with the appointment of Eugene Schuyler, a renowned and talented diplomat and historian, as the first American diplomatic representative to Romania. After Romania left the Eastern Bloc in 1989, US-Romanian relations have matured into a strategic partnership that encompasses a wide range of political, military, economic and cultural issues. The US supported Romania's entry into NATO, setting the stage for further integration into Europe. Today, Romania is a strong ally of the United States, and the two countries work together to build democracy, fight terrorism, and promote regional security and stability.
  In addition to close historical and cultural ties, Romania is one of the most consistently pro-American nations in Europe and in the world. According to a 2018 European poll, 78% of Romanians view the United States favorably. This is the second highest pro-American sentiment in the European Union, after Poland.
context_section_description: The Romanian Air Force military airbase was closed in 2003, forcing approximately 200 personnel into early retirement; about 15 still live in the commune in the "airmen neighborhood".
  The airbase near Deveselu was selected for the NATO missile defense system employing Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and the inauguration ceremony was held in December 2015. The system will use the SM-3 Block I.B. interceptor.
  The airport was home of the former Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base, which was the only unit operating the Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter aircraft. The base was disbanded in April 2004 and all the 18 MiG-29s remain in open storage at the airport. It has been used by the US Military since 1999. In 2003, it became one of four Romanian military facilities that have been used by US military forces as a staging area for the invasion of and ongoing counter-insurgency efforts in Iraq, operated by the 458th Air Expeditionary Group. It was intended to become one of the main operating bases of United States Army Europe 's Joint Task Force East (JTF-E), a rotating task force initially to be provided by the US 2nd Cavalry Regiment, which was to grow to a brigade-sized force eventually. The JTF-E concept has been reduced to the Army-only Task Force East, but the base still retains an important role, given added weight by the 2014 Crimean crisis.
  During the first three months of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the airport was transited by 1,300 cargo and personnel transports towards Iraq, comprising 6,200 personnel and about 11,100 tons of equipment.
caption: The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Complex Romania.
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