Press Releases

U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Mike Turner (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis encouraging the U.S. and Romanian governments to explore ways to create a permanent joint military base in Romania.

The Ranking Members also praised the F-35 following comments from President Iohannis on the aircraft's future inclusion in the Romanian Air Force.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear President Iohannis

We write to you today concerning the U.S.-Romania bilateral relationship and our appreciation for Romania's steadfast commitment to NATO and European security. Specifically, we noted with great interest your comments that the future of the Romanian Air Force would include the purchase of F-35 fighter aircraft. The F-35 is a world-class aircraft, and its addition to the Romanian Air Forces would dramatically increase its lethality while also increasing interoperability with the U.S. Air Force.

Additionally, we were pleased to learn that a 1,000-member Army Stryker squadron will deploy to Romania from Germany. These 1000 soldiers will join roughly 900 U.S. service members already in that Romania. According to the Pentagon, "This force is designed to deter aggression and enhance our defensive capabilities in frontline allied states." This is another welcome development and further evidence of Romania's commitment to confront the Russia threat. Further, we see no reason why this Army Stryker squadron deployment should be temporary and believe that our two governments should explore ways to make these forces permanent.

We thank you and hope that we can continue this dialogue to both deter Russian aggression and strengthen our bilateral relationship.