The Pentagon will keep thousands of soldiers for at least nine more months at the Mykhailo Kogelnicanu base in Romania, the US military base closest to the conflict in Ukraine, officials said, quoted by The New York Times, according to Agerpres.

Since last summer, approximately 4,000 soldiers from the US 101st Airborne Division have been stationed at Mykhailo Kogelnichyan Air Force Base, including small groups of troops that often train on Romania’s border with Ukraine. In addition to this contingent, the Pentagon sent a smaller contingent of the 82nd Airborne Division to Romania as part of a rapid response force after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Troops of the 101st Airborne Division, replaced in Romania by another brigade led by senior officers

Troops from the 101st Airborne Division will leave Romania in the next two months and will be replaced by another brigade from the same division, which is permanently based in the United States at Fort Campbell, according to officials cited by the New York Times.

In addition, the nine-month mission will be led by senior officers, including a two-star general and top planners from the 10th Mountain Assault Division, officials said.

It was not clear until Saturday whether the Pentagon was going to keep the top-level unit at the Kogelnican base or move its forces elsewhere.

Sending a two-star general close to a conflict zone allows for faster decisions on the deployment of troops and weapons should Russia push the war into NATO territory, military analysts say.

The move “will ensure the United States is well positioned to provide a credible deterrence and defense posture for our allies on the European continent,” the Pentagon said in a statement Saturday, adding that “the United States will continue to adjust its posture accordingly.” as a response to a dynamic security environment.”