USACE team hosts OSD leaders to discuss construction mission in Romania

By CourtesyFebruary 29, 2024

USACE team hosts OSD leaders to discuss construction mission in Romania
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Project Engineer Mirela Chirita briefs Office of Secretary of Defense officials and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teammates on progress of construction on the Deployable Air Base System-Facility, Equipment & Vehicle Storage facilities project being built at Air Base 71 in Campia Turzii, Romania February 1, 2024. The project is part of a more than $100 million construction mission at the base funded by the European Deterrence Initiative that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing. (U.S. Army photo by Jerry Jones) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL
USACE team hosts OSD leaders to discuss construction mission in Romania
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Project Engineer Razvan Fenesan and Southern Europe Area Engineer Bryce Jones discuss the more than $100 million construction mission being managed where the new dangerous cargo pad construction is underway at Air Base 71 in Campia Turzii, Romania with Office of the Secretary of Defense Senior Plans Advisor Col. Robert Glecker, OSD Director of Global Posture Policy Dorothy Ohl and Europe District Commander Col. Dan Kent February 1, 2024. (U.S. Army photo by Jerry Jones) (Photo Credit: Courtesy) VIEW ORIGINAL

CAMPIA TURZII, Romania -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District Commander Col. Dan Kent and Europe District teammates recently hosted senior Office of the Secretary of Defense officials at Air Base 71 here to show them the construction program at the base and help them understand Europe District capabilities in Romania and across Europe.

Kent, along with teammates from Europe District’s Southern Europe Area Office and Transylvania Project Office teams, escorted OSD Director of Global Posture Policy Dorothy Ohl, Senior Plans Advisor Col. Robert Glecker and others to sites around the installation where Europe District is managing a more than $100 million construction program. The work is funded through the U.S. European Command’s European Deterrence Initiative using U.S. Air Force military construction funds. The projects are coordinated closely with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Embassy in Romania and Romanian Air Force partners.

Ohl’s global posture policy team provides posture policy guidance and oversight with respect to global forces, footprint, and agreement issues and they visited other commands and sites while in Europe as well.

Europe District Project Engineer Jerry Jones noted the group discussed the projects in Campia Turzii, local challenges the team has overcome like other large-scale construction efforts in the area and the capabilities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deliver large construction programs in new locations.

“Dr. Ohl and Col. Glecker stated that they wanted to visit Campia Turzii due to the type and scope of projects being executed,” Jones said. “The Transylvania Project Office team exceeded all of our visitors’ expectations and demonstrated the outstanding job the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is delivering in a remote location.”

They visited both completed facilities, like the recently turned completed aircraft hangar, as well as several ongoing construction sites including the Deployable Air Base System-Facility, Equipment & Vehicle Storage facilities project.

Kent and Southern Europe Area Engineer Bryce Jones also had the opportunity to engage with the Air Base 71 Commander Romanian Air Force Brig. Gen. Micloş Cătălin-Eugen and Commanding Officer of 3rd Center of Domain and Infrastructures Romanian Armed Forces Col. Danut Ungureanu – in charge overseeing Romanian military construction across the entire Transylvanian region of the country.

They discussed the success of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers missions at the base in recent years, construction going forward, other construction being led by the Romanian government and opportunities to coordinate and deconflict the two large-scale construction programs going forward.