Romania Builds Largest NATO Base in Europe
17 March, 2024 Flags of NATO and Romania. Photo from open sources. Construction began on the largest NATO base in Europe in Romania, with a construction cost of EUR2.5 billion.
Euronews reported on it. The construction will expand the Romanian Air Force 57th Air Base Mihail Kogalniceanu. The base will have an area of 2,800 hectares and a total perimeter of 30 kilometers.
The base will be home to 10,000 NATO troops and their families.
Scheme of base expansion. Source: Euronews.
The base in Constanta County will be equipped with runways, hangars for aircraft, storage and deployment facilities for weapons, fuel and lubricants, training equipment, schools, kindergartens, shops, and a hospital.
A joint NATO-Ukraine facility in Poland
On February 15, 2024, Militarnyi reported that Ukraine and the North Atlantic Alliance would establish the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC) in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, emphasized that the joint center in Poland is necessary not only for Ukraine but also for NATO.
Illustrative image of the flags of NATO and Ukraine
Stoltenberg did not disclose details about the center's work, adding that it will facilitate sharing experiences.
On March 6, 2024, it was reported that the first meeting of the project team responsible for launching JATEC had taken place. JATEC, as a multi-year program, is an important component of NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package. It is necessary to provide adequate resource support for the Center's work to ensure the realization of the ambitious aims set by the project initiators.
NATO expansion
Militarnyi recently reported that Sweden officially became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Sweden applied for NATO membership in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, and most Allies quickly ratified its accession.
Flags of Sweden and NATO. Photo from open sources.
There were issues with obtaining ratification from two countries, Turkey and Hungary. However, the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban faced pressure from NATO allies to approve Sweden's accession to the Alliance as soon as possible.
Ankara changed its decision after EU officials agreed to resume negotiations on Turkey's accession to the alliance and to ease U.S. sanctions on the sale of military technology. On April 4, 2023, it was reported that Finland had officially become the 31st member of NATO.
Flags of Finland and NATO. Photo from open sources.
The Finnish government noted that this decision was made for security reasons, as the country has a rather long border with Russia--over 1,300 kilometers.
With the accession of Finland to NATO, the border of the alliance member countries with Russia has more than doubled.
Until now, it was 1215 kilometers.