U.S. Navy Aegis Ashore base in Romania hosts NATO country Ambassadors

Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Amy Forsythe | DEVESELU, Romania (Nov. 19, 2019) – U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) site in Deveselu, Romania, provides and overview briefing inside the ‘deckhouse’ to 20 Ambassadors from NATO countries Nov. 19, 2019. U.S. Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm hosted the ambassadors for an inside look at how the U.S. Navy and Romanian military work together to sustain operational readiness to protect the Euro-Atlantic region through ballistic missile defense. Naval Support Facility Deveselu provides essential support to AAMDS Romania in core mission areas such as safety, security and quality of life, and works jointly with the Romanian 99th Military Base to ensure the security and safety of the AAMDS site. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Amy Forsythe, Public Affairs Officer, Naval Support Facility Deveselu)  

DEVSELU, ROMANIA

11.19.2019

Story by Lt. Amy Forsythe 

Naval Support Facility Deveselu

DEVESELU, Romania (Nov. 19, 2019) – The U.S. Ambassador to Romania, Hans Klemm, hosted ambassadors and senior diplomats from 20 NATO countries for a visit at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Deveselu and Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) Romania on Nov. 19.

Klemm, along with Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dan Neculaescu, provided two dozen fellow ambassadors with an exclusive tour of the Romanian 99th Military Base, which is co-located with NSF Deveselu, and an inside look at the AAMDS “deckhouse” where Sailors conduct 24-hour monitoring activity and stand ready to respond.

The Aegis Ashore site in Romania is part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, the United States’ voluntary contribution to NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, which originated in an agreement signed by President Barack Obama in 2009. As Klemm explained during a press briefing, the EPAA represents part of the continuing U.S. commitment to NATO.

“Today’s visit was designed to underline that this is a NATO facility that was a result of investments by both Romania and the United States,” Klemm said.

The visit marked the first time a large group of NATO ambassadors have visited the site. In the process, they gained a better understanding of how the Aegis Ashore technology works, who is responsible for operating it and how the U.S. and Romanian militaries maintain a strong partnership to ensure the site is protected and remains fully operational.

The German Ambassador to Romania, Cord Meier-Klodt, observed that the visit was a great way to see firsthand the partnership between the U.S. and Romania, and that it demonstrates the strong NATO alliance in very important ways.

Located approximately three hours by car south of Romania’s capital city of Bucharest, NSF Deveselu was established in October 2014, and is home to more than 250 U.S. Navy Sailors, Department of Defense civilians and contractor personnel assigned to both the installation and to AAMDS Romania.

The Aegis Ashore system, which achieved operational certification in May 2016, is under the operational control of U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet based in Naples, Italy, and provides ballistic missile defense against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic region. The AAMDS deckhouse and launchers are designed to be nearly identical to the versions installed aboard U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers, and the system is equipped with the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3).

In the summer of 2019, AAMDS Romania received routine upgrades and maintenance. During the maintenance period, NATO BMD was supported by a U.S. Army task force employing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at Deveselu.

NSF Deveselu provides essential support to AAMDS Romania in core mission areas such as safety, security and quality of life, and works jointly with the Romanian 99th Military Base to ensure the security and safety of the AAMDS site.

• Date Taken: 11.19.2019
• Date Posted: 11.23.2019 04:08
• Story ID: 353181
• Location: DEVSELU, RO