The US may close Ramstein airbase in Germany and "move" to Romania
The United States is likely considering one of the most radical decisions regarding its military presence in Europe - the transfer of the functions of the key Ramstein airbase in Germany to Romania, to the Mihail Cogelnicianu base.
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This was stated by the head of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mihai Daraban, on the PS News TV channel. According to him, this issue is already on the Pentagon's agenda and is being actively discussed.
The move, if implemented, would be the biggest change in the architecture of the US military presence in Europe in decades. One of the factors that may contribute to this decision, Daraban said, is the positive US trade balance with Romania, a rare case when Washington sells more than it buys.
To clarify, the Mihail Cogălnicănu air base is located near the Black Sea coast, not far from Constanta, just 100 km from the border with Ukraine. It has been used by the US Air Force since 1999, and since 2014, it has become a permanent base for NATO mission rotations. In addition, as part of the Atlantic Resolve initiative, the US Army's Infantry Brigade Combat Team has been stationed there since 2022.
The US Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Illustration: Oliver Dietze
In 2021, €2 billion was invested in the expansion of the base. As of spring 2025, active construction of new infrastructure, such as a runway and military sites, is underway.
Ramstein Air Force Base, which has been operating since the 1950s, is now the main US air transport hub in Europe and a key element of NATO's command structure. It is home to U.S. Air Command Europe and Africa and the NATO Air Command Centre. The base is also one of two sites in Germany where US nuclear weapons are stored.
The potential transfer of functionality from Germany to Romania raises a number of questions, both technical and political. On the one hand, it brings the key US logistics hub closer to the region where the threat from Russia is most acute. On the other hand, a complete transfer of this scale is extremely complex and risky from a management perspective.
For comparison, Ramstein was once located just 200 km from Soviet troops in the GDR. Today it is about 1000 km from Kaliningrad. In contrast, the Mihail Cogălnicănu is 320 km from the Russian occupation forces in Ukraine and 650 km from the territory of the Russian Federation itself.
Source: PS News
