Romania, a partner of the USA
The presence of the US general Christopher Donahue at the Kogălniceanu military base is a very good signal for Romania, said defence minister Ionuț Moșteanu.
Leyla Cheamil, 26.11.2025, 14:00
General Christopher Donahue, commander of the United States Army Europe and Africa, who visited the American soldiers deployed at the Mihail Kogălniceanu base in south-eastern Romania on Tuesday, said that Romania will always remain a central element in this part of the North Atlantic Alliance. We are committed to our presence here and always will be, the general said. He added that the Romanian Air Force will soon receive an anti-drone system, providing increased capacity to shoot down drones illegally entering the country’s airspace.
In the context of the war in Ukraine, the American official said that work is underway to develop an advanced drone defence system, designed to protect NATO airspace. Christopher Donahue said a new capability has been developed able to shoot down these drones, adding that the system is in its final stages and hopefully it will be implemented as quickly as possible. He pointed out that Romanian and allied soldiers have been training to use this new system.
Romanian defence minister Ionuţ Moşteanu, who accompanied the American general, said that the latter’s presence at the 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu base in Constanta is a good signal for Romania, because there is a lot still to be developed. “We are on a path of over 30 years of partnership and this is something that helps us to be optimistic for the future. The fact that we have these troops here, that the American flag is flying on Romanian territory is also helpful to Romania’s security,” said the minister. He announced that even after the withdrawal of the troops from the US 101st Airborne Division, the Mihail Kogălniceanu Military Base will continue to host approximately 800 American soldiers, which he explained was the amount of staff deployed before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Counting the military also deployed at Câmpia Turzii and Deveselu, Romania will host around 1,000 American soldiers. The 101st Airborne Division was deployed to Romania for a second time, after a first deployment in 2022.
We recall that on the day General Christopher Donahue visited, a drone entered Romanian airspace deeper than ever before, near the Romanian border with Ukraine, something the authorities in Bucharest described as a Russian provocation. Russian drones had struck Ukrainian ports overnight, near the border with Romania, which is across the Danube River. Tuesday’s was the 13th incursion into Romanian airspace recorded since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
