The President of Romania says he and the US have struck a deal for a US military presence in his country. According to Reuters news service, Traian Basescu has agreed to let the American military use sites on the Black Sea coast and possibly others. Basescu says US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will visit Romania next month to put ink on paper. Romania allowed US forces to use one of its air bases during the buildup for the war in Iraq. (Read our article about the shift from Western Europe to the south and east.)
The Air Force is seeking funding to let its pilots fly a little more than 1.1 million hours in fiscal 2027, which would be the most in about four years. But even if Airmen actually do fly all 1.1 million hours, it would still be short of the 1.3 million…