The United States and Romania have jointly selected Deveselu Air Base near Caracal, Romania, to host land-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors in the 2015 timeframe as part of the US national contribution to NATO’s ballistic missile defense architecture. The BMD site, encompassing about 430 acres, will consist of a radar deckhouse, command element, and launch modules containing the SM-3 interceptors, stated State Department officials. Collectively this capability is known as the Aegis Ashore System. It is part of the second phase of the Obama Administration’s European Phased Adaptive Approach BMD system designed to protect Europe and the United States from threat missiles emanating from the Middle East. “The site has many advantages, including existing infrastructure and advantageous geography,” said Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, of Deveselu Tuesday in remarks in Bucharest. (Tauscher remarks) (State Department fact sheet)
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.