500 US troops arrive in Romania to bolster defense

A serviceman of the "Fighting Eagles" 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, walks on a tank that arrived via train to the US base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, eastern Romania, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Five hundred U.S. troops began to arrive in a Black Sea port in Romania with tanks and hardware to bolster defense in this East European NATO nation.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A serviceman of the "Fighting Eagles" 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, walks on a tank that arrived via train to the US base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, eastern Romania, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Five hundred U.S. troops began to arrive in a Black Sea port in Romania with tanks and hardware to bolster defense in this East European NATO nation.(AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania (AP) — Five hundred U.S. troops are arriving at a Romanian Black Sea port with tanks and hardware to bolster defense in the East European NATO nation.

The U.S. embassy said the “Fighting Eagles,” 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, will be stationed in the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in eastern Romania on a rotating basis.

U.S. Ambassador Hans G. Klemm said Tuesday the deployment underscores that “the strong U.S.-Romania strategic partnership exists in both word and deed.”

He said the presence “expands our capacity ....in maintaining peace and security in southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region.”

NATO’s ties with Moscow deteriorated after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and supported a pro-Russian insurgency. NATO since has increased military exercises in Eastern Europe to reassure allies.