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4 avril 2014 5 04 /04 /avril /2014 07:40
US Sends More Marines to Romania, DDG to Black Sea

April 3, 2014 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued April 2, 2014)

 

U.S. Sends More Marines to Romania, Navy Vessel to Black Sea

 

WASHINGTON --- The Defense Department is deploying additional Marines to enlarge a rotational crisis response force based in Spain, and is also dispatching a naval vessel to the Black Sea to conduct exercises with U.S. allies in the region, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

 

Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters that 175 Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., will augment the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response force based at Moron Air Base, Spain.

 

“We’re increasing the number from 500 to 675,” Warren said, adding that the move had been planned since late last year.

 

The expeditionary force falls under U.S. Africa Command but can be deployed anywhere. It enables the United States to conduct a range of military operations including non-combatant evacuations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as support for U.S. embassies.

 

While the additional Marines will be part of the Spain-based force, Warren said they are being stationed in Romania to allow greater flexibility. They will join nearly 300 Marines already in the country who are part of the Black Sea rotational force.

 

Warren emphasized the decision to send the additional Marines to Romania is not related to developments in Ukraine. However, he also announced that a U.S. Navy vessel is heading to the Black Sea for exercises to reassure American allies of the U.S. commitment to the region. That move, he said, is a direct result of the current situation in Ukraine. Warren did not rule out a role for the vessel in exercises with the Ukrainian military.

 

The announcement came a day after Warren said senior U.S defense officials were in Kiev for discussions with Ukrainian officials on defense cooperation and regional security.

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2 avril 2014 3 02 /04 /avril /2014 07:20
MV-22B Ospreys Photo by Capt. Lauren Schulz

MV-22B Ospreys Photo by Capt. Lauren Schulz

 

April 01, 2014 Spacewar.com (AFP)

 

Bucharest - Romania has approved an increase in American troops at its military airbase on the Black Sea as Washington continues to shift its main transit base for Afghanistan away from Kyrgyzstan, a report said Tuesday.

 

Romanian President Traian Basescu sent a letter to parliament approving the US request for 600 more troops at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airport in the southeast of the country, the Agerpres news agency said.

 

"The request... refers to the deployment of a unit of Marines called the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response, with up to 600 soldiers and a number of military aircraft needed to fulfil specific missions," the letter said.

 

The US is due to abandon by July the Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan that has been the main transit point for its military personnel and cargo in and out of Afghanistan, after the Kyrgyz government refused to extend the lease last year.

 

The Mihail Kogalniceanu base, where around 1,000 troops are currently stationed, is due to become the main transit point as the US prepares for a major withdrawal of forces and equipment from Afghanistan later this year.

 

The US inaugurated the new transit centre in February.

 

Between 20,000 and 30,000 troops are expected to transfer through the base on their way back from Afghanistan this year.

US increases troops at Afghan transit base in Romania
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26 novembre 2013 2 26 /11 /novembre /2013 17:45
A V-22 Osprey

A V-22 Osprey

 

 

22 November 2013 by Second Line of Defence - defenceWeb

 

With the Ospreys as a key player in the Philippine’s relief, another story highlights the flexibility of this unique aircraft.

 

According to a USMC story by Captain Sharon Hyland:

 

Marines from the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response completed a long-range transport of Marines from Moron, Spain, to Dakar, Senegal, on November 13, utilizing MV-22Bs and a KC-130J.

 

The trip totalled more than 1,500 nautical miles and consisted of more than 30 Marines from SPMAGTF-CR and Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Africa 13. The Marines with SPMAGTF-Africa 13 were inserted in Senegal to participate in a small-boat operations and marksmanship training and exercises with the Senegalese military.

 

The mission marked the first time MV-22B Ospreys arrived in West Africa and offered the Senegalese and American Embassy personnel an up-close look at the tiltrotor aircraft during a static display and orientation flight.

 

This flight to Senegal can be added to other activities of the Osprey worldwide including: a first landing on a Japanese warship in the APR; the TRAP mission from North Carolina to Colorado; the Philippine’s relief mission; and the training with the Foreign Legion.

 

Clearly, the Osprey and its capabilities are becoming central to US Marine Corps global operations.

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