The United States will expand an air base in Hungary to host nuclear-capable fighter jets as part of efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.
Contracts signed by the American government indicate plans to modernize the Kecskemét Air Base, located southeast of Budapest, according to a report cited by The Telegraph.
The base will likely host tactical F-15 Eagle fighter jets, manufactured in the USA, as well as an unknown number of A-10 Warthog support aircraft and C-5 Galaxy transport planes.
The F-15 is certified to carry the B61-12 gravity nuclear bombs, as reported by the British newspaper.
In July 2021, the United States signed an implementation agreement with Hungary allowing access for the American military to the Kecskemét Air Base, as well as the Pápa Air Base in the country's west. Subsequently, in the same year, another memorandum signed in Budapest granted the US access to the Tata and Várpalota garrisons in Hungary.
In 2019, Washington and Hungary concluded the Defense Cooperation Agreement, the framework document for the modernization of the Hungarian armed forces.
The US military has established its European Command in Germany and provides vital capabilities to NATO's continental countries, including logistics and intelligence. The US Army has eight garrisons in Europe and opened its Polish garrison in March 2023.
In the early months of the Ukraine conflict, President Joe Biden ordered an additional 20,000 American troops to be sent to Europe, with the United States deploying over 100,000 troops in Europe, as noted by Newsweek.
The decision to expand the Kecskemét base aligns with NATO's strategy to bolster its eastern flank and comes after Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service, stated on Monday that Russia will likely be able to launch an attack against NATO "no later than the end of the decade".
NATO is building in Romania the largest military base on the continent, aiming to strengthen its capabilities in the Black Sea region to counter Russia's activities in the area.
The $2.7 billion (2.5 billion euros) project targets the expansion of the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base near Constanța. According to Newsweek, the new facility will have a perimeter of nearly 32 km and will cover around 2,800 hectares.
Upon completion, the base in Constanța will be larger than the one at Rammstein in Germany, accommodating approximately 10,000 NATO personnel and their families.
NATO also has several multinational battle groups in Eastern Europe, one of which is led by the US. The Alliance has doubled the number of battle groups and, consequently, troops in the region since February 2022.
The battle group in Romania is coordinated by France, with Belgium, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, and the US contributing military forces. The Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base currently hosts around 5,000 troops, with the majority being American soldiers.