Col. Timothy Gatlin salutes as the U.S. and Romanian national anthems play during the transfer of authority ceremony between the 1st Armored Division and the 3rd Infantry Division at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Oct. 27, 2025. (Regina Koesters/U.S. Army)
The 3rd Infantry Division took command this week of Army operations in the Black Sea region with a task force of soldiers dispatched to Romania on a nine-month deployment.
The unit replaced the 1st Armored Division on Monday during a ceremony at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, which serves as the main hub for U.S. forces in Romania, the Army said in a statement the same day.
The operations involve about 3,000 soldiers taking part in missions across Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
During its deployment, the 1st Armored Division’s Task Force Iron “advanced U.S.-NATO command and control integration with detailed planning of crisis response operations, eastern flank defense lines, and forward land forces expansion,” the Army statement said.
Brig. Gen. Jared Bordwell, far left, salutes alongside government officials as well as Romanian and U.S. soldiers during the transfer of authority ceremony between the 1st Armored Division and the 3rd Infantry Division at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Oct. 27, 2025. (Regina Koesters/U.S. Army)
Bolstering troop levels and command capabilities around the Black Sea became a priority in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Pentagon boost in force levels in Europe included an increase in troop numbers in and around Romania.
In 2023, there was debate in the Pentagon about whether rotational forces that had been added in Europe should be curtailed, but military leaders ultimately opted to continue with an increased presence on the continent.
The 3rd Infantry Division’s arrival comes amid an ongoing force posture review at the Pentagon that could have implications for the U.S. European Command mission.
It’s unclear what President Donald Trump’s plans are for troop levels in Europe. However, numerous NATO allies are anticipating potential cuts in connection with a Pentagon push to better counter China in the Pacific.
