Allied governments received notice of a partial US drawdown on NATO’s eastern flank. Romania confirmed the first step. US Army Europe and Africa said the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, will redeploy to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and no follow-on brigade will replace it. Defense officials confirm treaty commitments are unchanged. Washington is conducting a wider review of force dispositions that will run into next year.
Romania Confirms About 1,000 US Personnel Will Stay
Romania’s defence ministry said the change was expected. About 1,000 US personnel will remain after a presence that peaked above 1,700 earlier this year. Defense Minister Ionuț Moșteanu told reporters the step tracks a US priority shift toward the Indo-Pacific. Allied numbers in Romania remain above the pre-February 2022 baseline. “Our strategic partnership is solid, predictable, and reliable,” he said. A NATO official, speaking on background, described the change as routine and said Brussels had advance notice. The official said allied and US staffs coordinate daily on force levels and alerts.
Elements of the departing brigade operated across several host nations. A sizable contingent worked from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base near Constanța. MK functions as a logistics and training node for allied forces moving across the Black Sea region. According to industry sources, base expansion continues under multi-year Romanian funding. The separate Aegis Ashore ballistic-missile defense site at Deveselu is unchanged. Romanian officials have repeatedly described that site as a long-term commitment unrelated to ground force rotations.
Romanian authorities continue to log spillover from Russia’s strikes on Ukraine. Officials have recorded dozens of drone fragments and periodic incursions near the Danube delta. Bucharest tightened local alerting and civil-military coordination on the coast and along river corridors. The defence ministry said recent US equipment deliveries strengthen short-range air defense around energy infrastructure and grain routes.
MK Expansion and Aegis Ashore Status After the US Change
Bucharest’s statement said the United States would end the European rotation of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries, including at MK. The ministry estimates roughly 1,000 US personnel will remain in country after the change. Officials also noted an allied presence of about 3,500 troops in Romania across the NATO Forward Land Forces battle group and other detachments. Moșteanu pointed to recent air-defense deliveries and ongoing joint training as signs of continuity.
MK has served as a primary air bridge and railhead for US Army movements since 2022. The expansion program adds a second runway, more hardened shelters, fuel storage, and additional support facilities. Romanian planners expect higher allied throughput even if the US trims one ground rotation. Deveselu’s navy detachment and Romanian support units continue under established orders. Defense officials confirm these projects stay on track.
Officials in Poland and Lithuania said they had not been notified of US troop reductions on their soil. Warsaw and Vilnius reported no change in national or allied plans. NATO officials also said the overall US military presence in Europe remains above pre-2022 levels.
What Leaves with the 2nd Brigade and What Remains in Romania
The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team rotated through Romania and neighboring countries after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Air assault infantry and attached units joined live-fire drills with Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Slovak troops. Soldiers now redeploy to Fort Campbell on the normal rotation schedule. This time no US brigade will rotate in to replace them. US Army Europe and Africa said, “This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5.” The command also said the adjustment “will not change the security environment in Europe” and called it “a positive sign of increased European capability and responsibility.”
About 1,000 US troops will remain in Romania after the brigade leaves. They include logisticians and air-defense crews, aviation support elements, training staff, and liaison teams linked to the multinational battle group, air policing, and maritime coordination in the western Black Sea. Rotational aviation, long-range fires units, and Air Force detachments continue to cycle through the theater under separate taskings, according to officials.
The absence of a backfill in Romania does not signal a change in Poland. US heavy forces, headquarters elements, and prepositioned stocks anchor support for the Baltics and the northeastern flank. Authorities in Warsaw said they had not received drawdown notices. Lithuania reported the same for its territory. Both countries continue to host regular US training and equipment movements. US headquarters in Europe retain the ability to move forces back into Romania or elsewhere by airlift and rail. MK remains the primary entry point.
Eastern Flank Posture Across Poland, Baltics, and NATO Battle Groups
NATO characterized the Romania step as a normal adjustment. “NATO and US authorities are in close contact about our overall posture – to ensure NATO retains our robust capacity to deter and defend,” the alliance official said. The eastern flank continues to field eight multinational battle groups. The Romanian formation remains led by France with contributions from several allies. Since 2022, those battle groups have exercised at higher echelons under the Forward Land Forces concept. The alliance also increased air and missile defense layers, naval patrols in the Black Sea approaches, and a thicker exercise schedule after repeated airspace incidents in the north and southeast.
Romania is pressing ahead with national programs. Bucharest approved a long-term expansion of MK and is funding air-defense, coastal surveillance, and command-and-control upgrades. The Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland are declared mission-ready under NATO and link to allied ships and an early-warning radar in Turkey. Those missile-defense assets operate on their own track and remain separate from ground combat formations.
According to industry sources, Romanian and allied contractors have kept MK works on schedule this year. Current tasks focus on power distribution upgrades, access roads, and the first round of shelter and maintenance capacity. Civil works continue even with the US trimming one rotation. The base’s value lies in throughput and staging for allied forces across the region.
Outside Romania, allied investment remains steady. Poland is expanding armored brigades and territorial units. Lithuania and Latvia have locked new host-nation support arrangements for an enlarged German presence and other contributors. Slovakia and Hungary maintain their battle groups while they move through modernization programs. The result is a more balanced force composition on the eastern flank even without a US brigade rotating into Romania this cycle.
Congressional Objections and Near-Term Effects for Training and Air Defense
Two committee chairs on Capitol Hill, Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Mike Rogers, issued a joint statement opposing the Pentagon’s decision. “We strongly oppose the decision not to maintain the rotational U.S. brigade in Romania,” they wrote. They argued it “sends the wrong signal to Russia” and appears “directly at odds with the President’s strategy.” The lawmakers said they would seek details from the Pentagon and pressed for consultation on any further changes. Their letter also referenced recent Russian drone incidents over Romanian territory.
Romanian leaders played down concerns. Moșteanu said the permanent allied presence remains “considerable” and sufficient for national needs. He noted that allied contributors have kept their forces in the Romanian battle group and related missions. Romania’s foreign ministry has pushed a consistent line for months. Europe should carry more of the conventional defense load in the Black Sea region. That view sits behind Romanian requests for more short-range air defense, counter-drone systems, and ammunition. It also sits behind decisions to join several European cooperative programs.
Analysts in Brussels describe a gradual rebalancing. Giuseppe Spatafora of the EU Institute for Security Studies said, “We do know the direction of travel: fewer US troops and assets, and an expectation that Europeans will fill the gap.” Allies on the northern tier welcomed clarity that their US posture is unchanged for now. Officials in Warsaw and Vilnius said they had not received drawdown notices.
Near-term effects in Romania will show up in training schedules and the availability of certain US capabilities on short notice. A brigade brings organic artillery, engineers, and sustainment. Without a backfill, those functions come from smaller detachments, planned exercises, or allied units. Romanian commanders still have options. MK is open for airlift and staging. The multinational battle group can draw on French and other national assets. Air policing, maritime ISR, and missile defense continue under existing orders. Defense officials confirm US commands retain authority to move forces quickly if conditions change.
Drone incidents along the Danube delta and hazards in coastal areas remain a concern for local authorities. Romania has tightened air surveillance and recovery protocols and has acquired counter-UAS kits for border and coastal sectors. European funds and bilateral programs add sensors and command-and-control links to that network. Those measures are independent of the rotating U.S. brigade.
Defense officials confirm the posture review behind these adjustments is due next year and could involve broader changes across commands. Allies are engaged through NATO staffs and bilateral channels. Messaging in Brussels stresses results on the frontier rather than raw troop counts. U.S. headquarters point to rapid-reinforcement options, prepositioned stocks, and steady air and maritime presence as the key levers in a crisis.
Our analysis shows the Romania change is limited in extent. The 2nd Brigade’s return removes a package local commanders valued, yet the remaining U.S. personnel, the permanent allied battle group, and MK’s throughput reduce near-term risk. The debate in Washington will continue, but near-term policy shifts appear unlikely unless the security picture changes. Romanian officials plan to secure additional allied rotations under the Forward Land Forces banner and to keep MK’s expansion on schedule.
REFERENCE SOURCES
- https://apnews.com/article/40a1c731a866ce84d5c7721fe12c380e
- https://www.reuters.com/world/us-will-withdraw-some-troops-stationed-romania-eastern-flank-bucharest-says-2025-10-29/
- https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/nato-official-alliance-close-contact-with-us-force-posture-europe-2025-10-29/
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/29/military-troops-romania
- https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/10/29/the-us-draws-down-some-troops-on-natos-eastern-flank/
- https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pentagon-cuts-troops-eastern-europe-prompting-rare-pushback/story?id=126987334
- https://armedservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6346
- https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/06/13/romania-launches-expansion-of-air-base-near-ukraine/
- https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_136388.htm
- https://clarksvillenow.com/local/101st-airborne-division-coming-home-from-europe-without-replacement/
- https://taskandpurpose.com/news/military-europe-101st/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/nato-declares-us-ballistic-missile-defense-base-poland-mission-ready-2024-07-10/
