Closing ceremony for BRSF 15.2. BRSF 16.1 kicks off at Mihail Kogalniceanu air base

The Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Constanta County hosted on Friday the closing ceremony of the Black Sea Rotational Force (BRSF) 15.2 military exercise, and the opening of BRSF 16.1.

According to press officer Lt. Kathleen O’Brien, the ceremony included the transfer of authority from the 3rd Battalion to the 1st Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment of the U.S. Marine Corps. Both battalions come from the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

BRSF 15.2 started in August last year. It coordinated seven multilateral exercises, 10 activities in collaboration with the local community, and nearly 50 mil-to-mil training exercises of troops from 10 states within the area of responsibility of the United States European Command.

The 500-staff of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment will be stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base for six months. They join 1,200 troops of the 9th Mechanized Brigade ‘Marasesti’ and other Romanian forces in five multinational military exercises in several places around Romania and Bulgaria, in the Cold Response exercise in Norway and in other mil-to-mil exercises with forces of NATO’s Partnership for Peace.

Black Sea Rotational Force comprises marines and sailors from the Black Sea, Balkans and Caucasus regions acting to consolidate the military capability, promote regional security and provide quick response to crises in accordance with the directives of the U.S. European Command and of the USMC Europe and Africa.