Romania and the United States have signed an agreement that establishes guidelines on hosting American bases in the Eastern European country. According to Associated Press news service, Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu said, “It’s what our grandparents and parents have waited to see for 60 years and what hundreds of thousands of Romanians who were detained in Communist prisons have hoped for.” Romanian President Traian Basescu offered three potential base locations last month, including an air base, a training range, and the port facilities in Constanta on the Black Sea.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.