U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division and Romanian military defense counterparts watch the transfer of authority ceremony hosted by the U.S. Army’s V Corps at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Dec. 15, 2023. (Jonathan Hornby/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — The 82nd Airborne Division has taken command of Army operations on NATO’s southeastern flank, where paratroopers will collaborate with other rotational forces dispatched to deter potential Russian aggression in the Black Sea region.
The 82nd Airborne on Friday replaced the 10th Mountain Division, which for the past nine months has overseen troop movements stretching from Romania to Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. The transfer of command authority took place at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, which serves as the military’s main hub in the region.
An 82nd Airborne task force, led by Maj. Gen. Pat Work, has the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the 101st Airborne Division under its command. The brigade and its 3,400 soldiers deployed to the region in the fall.
Maj. Gen. Gregory K. Anderson, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, and Sgt. Maj. Jorge Rivera, operations sergeant major for 10th Mountain Division, case the division colors during the transfer of authority ceremony at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Dec. 15, 2023. (Jonathan Hornby/U.S. Army)
The moves are a continuation of a Pentagon buildup along NATO’s eastern flank that came in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Rotational units’ presence in the Black Sea Region demonstrates the U.S. Department of Defense’s commitment to NATO for collective defense and regional security,” the 82nd Airborne said in a statement.
The soldiers will take part in a range of multinational training events across the Black Sea region during their deployment, the division said.
U.S. Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski speaks on the transfer of authority ceremony between the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Pat Work at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, Dec. 15, 2023. (Andrew Mendoza/U.S. Army)
The arrival of the 82nd Airborne amounts to a one-for-one unit replacement rather than a change in U.S. European Command’s current force posture of roughly 100,000 troops currently carrying out missions on the Continent.
Maj Gen. Gregory Anderson, commander of the departing 10th Mountain Division, said the 82nd will be responsible for further advancing plans with allies when it comes to “warfighting, more complex combined arms formations,” and upgrades to facilities troops operate from.
