“Rakkasan” replaces “Bastogne” in Romania

A transfer of authority ceremony took place on November 24 at the Mihail Kogăniceanu Air Base.

Carmen Pelin, 29.11.2023, 12:21

The transfer of authority ceremony between 1st Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne” and 3rd Brigade Combat Team “Rakkasan” took place on Friday, November 24, at the Mihail Kogăniceanu Air Base and was hosted by the 10th Mountain Division. The ceremony marked the arrival to Romania of the detachment of the 3rd Brigade, respectively the departure of the detachment of the 1st Brigade to Fort Campbell, in Kentucky.

The 3rd Brigade military started arriving in Europe and at Mihail Kogălniceanu base since the beginning of November. It is a one-to-one rotation, without reductions or increases in numbers or structures. Around 3,800 soldiers from the 3rd Brigade “Rakkasan” are already deployed or will be deployed in locations throughout Europe for a 9-month mission, in six countries, including Poland, Germany, Bulgaria and Romania. The brigade operates in support of the US 5th Army Corps and is tasked with strengthening NATOs eastern flank, securing European allies and partners and deterring any possible Russian aggression.

So far, the 101st Airborne Division has deployed three of its brigades to southeastern Europe in the last 18 months. For Colonel Ricardo Turner, commander of the 3rd Brigade, this is the second time he is on a mission to the Black Sea area this year. he thanked his Romanian allies for their warm welcome.

Both brigades are part of the 101st Airborne Division. The 3rd Brigade returns to Europe for the first time since the 1970s and its reactivation in 2004. The name of the brigade comes from the end of the Second World War when it acted as an occupation force in Japan and its approximate translation is “umbrella man falling from the sky” as the Japanese, who watched their parachute training jumps, used to call them.

Germany supports its NATO ally, Romania, in surveilling the airspace within the enhanced air policing mission. Four Eurofighter jets of the German Air Force and a detachment of 140 soldiers have arrived at the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base near Constanța. They have been operational starting on November 27 and will strengthen the air defense on NATO’s south-eastern flank and will also participate in the air parade on December 1, when Romania marks its the National Day.

The German ambassador to Romania, Peer Gebauer, warmly welcame the members of the German intervention contingent in Romania saying that by participating again in the reinforced air policing mission, Germany shows that it stands by its ally, Romania, and collaborates to secure the ally territory.