Wednesday, October 21, 2009
U.S. and Bulgarian soldiers training (photo: Embassy of the United States, Sofia, Bulgaria)
The Obama administration’s scrapping of a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic does not mean the United States has given up on its commitment to defend Eastern Europe. Rather, the Defense Department is moving ahead with plans to build two new military bases, one each in Romania and Bulgaria, at a cost of $110 million.
The base in Romania will cost $50 million and house 1,600 U.S. troops, while the $60 million facility in Bulgaria will be home to 2,500 soldiers. The new bases are a continuation of a strategy begun during the Bush administration to shift America’s military forces out of Germany and move them eastward.
Redeploying troops to places like Romania and Bulgaria is expected to save the Pentagon money, while also positioning them closer to the Middle East. In addition, the move sends a message to Moscow that the U.S. is still committed to protecting the former Soviet satellites from Russian expansionism.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
New Bases in Bulgaria, Romania Cost U.S. Over $100M (by Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes)
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