Romania has now begun construction of what will eventually be the NATO alliance's largest European military base, as the transatlantic bloc seeks to bolster its capabilities in the Black Sea region with an eye on Russian activity there,
Newsweek reports.
The $2.7 billion project will expand the Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base Mihail Kogălniceanu, which is located close to the Black Sea port city of Constanța. The new facility will have a perimeter of almost 20 miles, cover around 11 square miles, and will be home to some 10,000 NATO personnel and their families.
Romania has long been a key hub for NATO operations in the Black Sea region. Thousands of U.S. troops have cycled through the country on training and security missions since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war on Ukraine. American combat and surveillance aircraft regularly operate from there as part of NATO's policing operations.
Euronews reported this weekend that work on the base's basic infrastructure - such as access roads and the power grid - has begun. Eventually, several new runways are expected to be built to support the operation of various types of military aircraft.
Nicolae Crețu, the commander of the air base, said there will be "maintenance hangars, fuel stores, ammunition, equipment, aviation technical materials, simulators, feeding facilities, accommodation; everything is needed to support the operation and missions of a base of this size extent."
