The American 101st Airborne Division is in Romania: “It’s not a deployment for training, it’s a deployment” VIDEO

Brigadier General John Lubas, the deputy commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division which is deployed in Romania, claims that the soldiers under his command are ready to defend every centimeter of NATO land at any time.

The elite American troops of the famous 101st Airborne Division located in Romania are always ready for battle and would not back down if they have to defend Allied territory, officials of the unit told the CBS television station. The 101st Airborne Division is the US military unit closest to military operations in Ukraine. Specifically, the American military, who are ready to go into battle in just a few hours, are now in Romania and, together with troops of the Romanian Army, are training in scenarios modeled after the combat conditions in Ukraine.

Brigadier General John Lubas, the deputy commander of the Division, made a series of clarifications about the mission of the American soldiers fighting under the slogan “Screaming Eagles”. “They (the Russians – no) know that we are ready. It’s not a training deployment, it’s a combat deployment. We understand that we must be ready to fight this night, if necessary depending on how the situation escalates on the border”said General John Lubas, who also specified that the military under his command are ready to defend every centimeter of NATO land.

Back in Europe after 78 years

“The real meaning for me, having American troops here, is like having allies in Normandy before any enemy is there”, Romanian Major General Iulian Berdilă told CBS News, referring to the landmark battle of the Second World War, on the northern coast of France. The parallel made by the Romanian general is not coincidental, because the 101st Airborne Division of the US Ground Forces returned to Europe 78 years after landing on the beaches of Normandy. The deployment was made as a result of the firm commitment of the US to the security of the Black Sea region and the NATO Allies, the US Embassy in Bucharest said in a statement some time ago.

Military analyst Aurel Cazacu believes that the presence of elite American soldiers in Romania acts in several directions. “Firstly, being a famous unit, the 101st Airborne Division deters the Russians and this is vital when dealing with a desperate Putin. Then, perhaps more importantly, these elite American soldiers are “battle ready”. They can react and retaliate if needed within hours. In addition, they train here with Romanian soldiers, which is extremely beneficial for the tactical training of the MApN troops”said Aurel Cazacu.

What troops does the Pentagon have in Romania?

Currently, in Romania, the Pentagon has a rather important military presence. In addition to the soldiers from the famous 101st Airborne Division who are part of the combat brigade whose deployment was announced by President Biden in Madrid, there are around 2,000 American soldiers at Mihail Kogălniceanu, and part of them are from the 2nd Regiment of Cavalerie Stryker (2nd Cavalry Regiment) and arrived in Romania with all their armored Stryker after the invasion of Ukraine. At the time they joined about 700 other US soldiers, organized into a battle group, equipped with Stryker transporters, Bradley fighting vehicles, Abrams tanks and Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, which had already been for a long time in the military base in Constanţa county.

Officially, two other bases in Romania also host American troops. It is Deveselu, where the Aegis Ashore anti-missile shield complex is located, and Câmpia Turzii, where MQ-9 Reaper drones are deployed, which are part of the 25th Attack Group (ATKG) of the US Air Force, a specialized unit in anti-terrorism missions, which previously operated in the Middle East.