Officially, it’s home to the Romanian Air Force’s 57th Air Base, with helicopter squadrons and local crews, but in practice it has become a joint hub where Romanian, American, and allied forces rotate through.
Since the late ’90s, U.S. troops have used the base, and over the years its role has grown steadily. Now it’s in the middle of a massive expansion: not just new runways and hangars, but an entire “military city” in the making, with housing, schools, logistics hubs, and social facilities. Once finished, it will cover almost 3,000 hectares, making it the largest NATO base in Europe.
Its value isn’t just size — it’s location. From MK, NATO can watch over the Black Sea, support Ukraine’s border, and control one of the alliance’s most sensitive frontiers. In short: what started as a Romanian airfield is being reshaped into a cornerstone of NATO’s strategy in the region.a