The ministry said the adjustment includes personnel at the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base near Constanța and is part of Washington’s global force-posture review.
Bucharest said it expected the move, citing constant contact with its “strategic” US partner, and noted the shift follows priorities announced in February and NATO’s strengthened presence on the eastern flank.
The Kyiv Post, citing three US and European officials, reported allies were notified earlier this week and that the reduction would be no more than one battalion, with no significant impact on US operations.
The outlet said an initial option to trim forces in both Romania and Poland was narrowed to Romania alone.
The report linked the decision to Pentagon plans to refocus resources on the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific to counter China, while some observers called the timing risky amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and increased Russian airspace incursions affecting NATO, especially Romania.
Retired US Army colonel Richard Williams said there were no clear tactical reasons to withdraw elements of a NATO brigade from Romania, according to the Kyiv Post.
The Kyiv Post also recalled that US President Donald Trump assured Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki that US troop levels in Poland would not be cut, a message that “to some extent” reassured Warsaw.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP