Related Information
Office of Defense Cooperation
Joint Task Force-East
Joint Task Force–East (JTF-East) is a United States European Command (USEUCOM) initiative to strengthen relationships between the United States and our Eastern European allies. All U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force training operations in Romania and Bulgaria will fall under the command of JTF–East, which in turn is under the command of USEUCOM. Physically located in Romania and Bulgaria, JTF East will include a small permanent headquarters (in Romania) consisting of approximately 100-300 personnel who will oversee rotations of U.S. Army brigade-sized units and U.S. Air Force Weapons Training Deployments (WTD). Access to Romanian and Bulgarian air and ground training facilities will provide JTF-East forces the opportunity to train and interact with military forces throughout the entire 92-country USEUCOM area of responsibility. U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and U.S Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) are actively involved in establishing JTF-East.
JTF-East Timeline
April 28, 2006: Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sign the Defense Cooperation Agreement in Sofia, Bulgaria. The agreement includes the range, order, and conditions of the shared use of several military facilities on Bulgarian territory – Novo Selo Training Area, Bezmer AB, Graf Ignatievo AB, and the military storage facility in Aytos. The U.S. previously signed a similar agreement with Romania, and the military units deployed to both Bulgaria and Romania are to be known as Joint Task Force- East (JTF-E).
June 12, 2006: The Defense Cooperation Agreement enters into force. JTF-E builds on the existing military cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States, which includes large joint military training exercises, like Bulwark 04, Immediate Response 05, and Immediate Response 06, conducted at Novo Selo TA and Bezmer AB.
September 2007: Soldiers, sailors and airmen from the U.S. and Bulgarian militaries participate in the JTF-E "Lion Strike" Exercise at Bulgaria’s Novo Selo Training Area. This Proof of Principle exercise serves as the formal start to the long-term commitment designed by the Defense Cooperation Agreement.
February 28, 2008: Lieutenant General Lyuben Pehlivanov and Vice Admiral Richard Gallagher sign eleven Implementing Arrangements concerning specifics of the Defense Cooperation Agreement. The Implementing Arrangements cover issues related to the Joint Commission, Security, Real Estate, Claims, Tax Exemption, Contracting Procedures, Operations, Customs, Labor, Criminal Jurisdiction, and Environment.
Future Activities
U.S. Army Europe plans various infrastructure upgrades in the joint military facilities. The following estimated budget figures are provided by U.S. Army Europe:
- Building Construction: $40 – $50 million from 2008-2009;
- Road and Utility Construction: $5 – $10 million from 2008-2009;
- Building maintenance and minor projects: $600 – $800 thousand per year;
- Roads and grounds maintenance: $300 – $500 thousand per year
September 2008: U.S. and Bulgarian troops begin periodic training as part of JTF-East at Novo Selo Training Area. Bulgarian and U.S. troops will train together for six weeks, operating under the Implementing Arrangements signed earlier this year.
Key Points
- The joint training facilities are and will remain Bulgarian bases, with Bulgarian commanders, under Bulgarian flag; the U.S. will have access to the facilities as needed.
- Future joint training exercises will continue on a periodic basis, with rotations of U.S. troops visiting Bulgaria for limited periods of time for a specific exercise, and returning to their primary base of operations upon the conclusion of that exercise.