Bulgarian–American Joint Military Facilities
Bulgarian–American Joint Military Facilities were established by a Defence Cooperation Agreement signed by the United States and Bulgaria in April 2006. Under the agreement, U.S. forces will train at these bases, which remain under Bulgarian command and under the Bulgarian flag.
History
On April 28, 2006, in
The Defense Cooperation Agreement entered into force on June 12, 2006. Additional agreements, concerning the specifics of the Defense Cooperation Agreement implementation, are expected to be finalized in 2007.[citation needed] Another agreement with Romania permits the U.S. to use the Mihail Kogălniceanu base and another one nearby.[1]
The U.S. has also signed a similar agreement with Romania and the U.S. military units deployed to both Bulgaria and
- Bezmer Air Base in Yambol Province
- Novo Selo Range in Sliven Province
- Aitos Logistics Center in Burgas Province
- Graf Ignatievo Air Base in Plovdiv Province
Under the agreement, no more than 2,500 U.S. military personnel will be located at the joint military facilities. Most training rotations will have small numbers and will be of short duration.[citation needed] During such a rotation, there might be brief periods when there are two groups of 2500 soldiers at one time in Bulgaria. The soldiers will not have family members with them.
Possible types of units are armor, mechanized infantry, airborne infantry or light infantry. The type of equipment they will use will depend on the unit and the training requirements.[2]
The treaty also allows the US to use the bases "for missions in third country without a specific authorization from Bulgarian authorities".[1] The U.S. Embassy has said that Bulgaria and the United States will consult about all aspects of the use of the facilities and training areas.[2]
The Bezmer Air Base is expected to become one of the major US strategic airfields overseas, housing American combat aircraft.[3]
The DCA accords
In the media
In 2006
See also
- Bulgaria–United States relations
- List of United States military bases
- Forward Operating Site
- NATO–Russia relations
References
- ^ Il Manifestoon April 30, 2006
- ^ a b c d "FAQ about U.S. - Bulgarian Shared Military Facilities". Embassy of the United States, Sofia Bulgaria. 2008-04-09. Archived from the original on 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ^ "Щатите наливат $150 млн. у нас" (in Bulgarian). Standart. 2008-06-24. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- Foreign Policy. May 2006. Archived from the originalon 2006-06-14. Retrieved 7 April 2016.