New U.S. Base in Romania To Be Larger Than Previously Estimated

The U.S. military tentatively plans to further expand its presence in Eastern Europe, specifically in Romania, where it will spend up to $100,000,000 to build a Forward Operating Base for Joint Task Force-Europe (JTF-E). According to an Oct. 11 presolicitation notice that TPR located during a routine search of the FedBizOpps contracting database, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is conducting a market-survey of potential contractors who can help build the base, which would be located near the Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base, a Romanian military facility.

U.S. forces used MK Air Base in early 2003 to provide logistics and air-transportation services in support of the occupation of Iraq. Also, exactly two years prior to today, Secy. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld visited MK Air Base, when the American Forces Information Service quoted an unnamed high-ranking official who said that any potential U.S. presence in Romania would total no more than "the small hundreds." Today's contracting notice, however, said that facilities for 1,700 troops would be needed at the base. The project, which is slated to begin April 2007 and last approximately "486 calendar days," is still pending final approval, according to the notice: "Funds are not currently available for this requirement. This project will be issued Subject to the Availability of Funding."