History

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The air base at Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK), better known as "MK,” has been in use by the U.S. military since 1999. In 2003, it was one of four Romanian military facilities used by U.S. military forces as a staging area for counter-insurgency efforts on the global war on terror. Since then, MK has become one of the main operating bases of United States Army Europe's Task Force East, a rotating task force initially to be provided by the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment, now a brigade-sized force.

As of 2009, the U.S. had spent $48 million upgrading the base. In that same year, the U.S. began operating a Permanent Forward Operating Site (FOS). MK is home to the Romanian Air Force 863rd Helicopter Squadron which operates IAR-330L's. At the time the U.S. Army 21st Theater Sustainment Command and Air Force 780th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron were responsible for U.S. operations.

Army Support Activity- Black Sea (ASA-BS) was established in 2016, as Installation Management Command-Europe (IMCOM-E) assumed responsibility for the quality of life and infrastructure services from Area Support Group – Black Sea (ASG-BS). The primary mission of ASA-Black Sea was to deliver base operations support, logistics, and administrative services to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of U.S. military activities in the area. It also managed facilities, maintained and improved infrastructure to support military readiness and quality of life for service members. The activity offered essential administrative support, including personnel management, finance, and legal services. Additionally, ASA-Black Sea worked closely with host nation military and civilian authorities to facilitate cooperation and ensure the smooth execution of joint missions and exercises.

ASA-Black Sea was initially aligned under USAG Ansbach as its higher headquarters, but later moved under USAG Rheinland-Pfalz. In May 2024, U.S. Army Garrison Poland’s Area of Responsibility was expanded to include Romania and Bulgaria further uniting the "Army's Home on the Eastern Flank”.

U.S. Army Garrison Black Sea became the Army’s newest garrison on June 15th, 2024. It is the 9th Garrison in Europe, the 81st in the Army, and first ever U.S. Army garrison (USAG) in Romania and Bulgaria. Located at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase (MKAB) in Romania and Novo Selo Training Area (NSTA) in Bulgaria, USAG Black Sea is tasked with managing a total of five sites across both countries. These include Babadag Training Area in Romania, as well as Aytos and Chubra Training Areas in Bulgaria.

MK Airbase currently supports the following missions:  The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Enhanced Air Policing, multiple rotary-wing elements from the current Regionally Aligned Forces (RAF) rotation force Mechanized Infantry Battalion and other support elements on a rotational basis.  Both MK airbase and NSTA are strategic locations for support and/or participation in the Southeastern Europe USAREUR exercises, such as Saber Guardian and Defender Europe.

NSTA is currently a major Bulgarian and U.S. military training facility established in 1962. NATO and other nations use the training area frequently. The training range is approximately 144 square kilometers (55.6 square miles) and is located within the Sliven Province, Bulgaria. The facility has designated areas and sectors for tank training, nuclear, biological, chemical defense, and reconnaissance training. NATO experts and troops worldwide praise the training area's versatility. NSTA has become the favored site of annual joint U.S. and Bulgarian exercises since 2004. The 2006 Defense Cooperation Agreement between the United States and  Bulgaria opened NSTA as a joint US-Bulgarian military base. Use by the U.S. Army started in late 2008 with a $61 million investment in the development of new Soldier housing and other infrastructure on the installation.

U.S. Army Garrison Black Sea is a key force projection platform for the U.S. Army mission in the Area of Operation (AO) Victory South for V Corps. The Garrison delivers and integrates flexible base support of logistics, infrastructure, and quality of life services that are provided to rotational forces across its five locations. U.S. Army Garrison Black Sea is the furthest East U.S. Army installation in Europe and has proven to be a pivotal location for the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS).