Joint statement by GAS (Socialist Action Group) and University Solidarity Union from the University of Craiova
On March 11, 2026, the President of Romania convened a Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) meeting at the Cotroceni Palace, following the US request to deploy troops and military aircraft to the Mihail Kogălniceanu base in Dobrogea. The Parliament approved the CSAT proposal that same day. The purpose of the deployment is to provide the US military with a launchpad for fighter jets, necessary to intensify attacks on Iran in the war started by President Trump. This information must be viewed in the context of last year’s “Twelve-Day War,” when British warplanes stationed at the same base on Romanian territory took off to fight against Iran.
The Pentagon’s request represents a dangerous indicator of a potential escalation or perpetuation of the conflict in the West Asia region. This measure contradicts the direction taken through the October 2025 resizing of troops present at Kogălniceanu, indicating that the US is preparing for the eventuality of a long-term war.
Such a development poses an existential threat to working people and the majority of society in Romania, the Balkans, and everywhere else—serving exclusively the interests of the American oligarchy and the capital in sectors dependent on arms production.
For workers in Romania and the local communities near the Mihail Kogălniceanu base, the troop deployment translates to skyrocketing rent prices, intensified work regimes, and longer working hours, as well as the loss of collective bargaining opportunities for employees.
For the majority of society in Iran, American and Israeli bombings will not bring emancipation from the ruling regime, but immediate death and destruction, and a condemnation to divert all resources towards medium-term reconstruction.
The long-term reward for the entire global population will come only in the form of increased fuel costs, disruptions to the production-distribution chains of nitrogen-based fertilizers due to the Hormuz blockade, and the possibility of a global recession.
In the context of the Iranian drone retaliation on British-jurisdiction bases in Cyprus, which took place on March 2, we reiterate that any instrumentalization of the Kogălniceanu base for offensive purposes by the US exposes the entire Constanța metropolitan area, especially the cities of Ovidiu and Năvodari, to collateral damage from similar strikes—now or in the future. Furthermore, in the Mihail Kogălniceanu and Lumina communes, over 2,400 hectares of land have been expropriated for the base’s expansion—a factor that brings no benefit to the local community, but rather a wide range of dangers. We also recall that in areas where US troops are stationed, problems such as human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors tend to flourish, as demonstrated by the ties between sex traffickers in Caracal and the Deveselu US military base.
What can be done?
We know that the infrastructure and logistics of the military base are provided by international corporations and local companies alike, such as KBR (Kellogg, Brown and Root), the primary historical operator, alongside Bryan 77 Construction JV, an American-Turkish joint venture holding tens of millions of dollars in contracts. Aduro Impex SRL Bucharest is leading the nearly 290-million-euro expansion works with the support of 18 subcontractors, including UTI Facility Management (for installations and networks), Popp & Asociații (design), and the Turkish firm Dere Construction Taahhut AS (paving and runway works). The activity of these companies depends on their employees’ labor, and a work stoppage would paralyze the construction of new buildings and facilities, thereby discouraging the deployment.
The Port of Constanța is the main gateway for heavy equipment, and port unions, such as the Trans-Conex Federation, have recently threatened strikes amid the blocking of collective agreements. The transport of equipment from the port to the base depends on Romanian Railways (CFR) employees. Dockworkers, railway workers, and freight handlers have the power to block the transport and unloading of weapons and ammunition, as well as to demand transparency regarding these transports to ensure workplace safety.
Although active-duty military personnel do not have the legal right to unionize or declare a strike (a fact we believe must change), according to the Social Dialogue Law (Law 367/2022), public servants and civilian contract staff employed by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) have the right to unionize without restrictions. These workers ensure the daily office work, supply chain, and technical operations; operating the military machine is impossible without their labor. It is important for them to remember that they have nothing to gain from Romania’s participation in a war, and they shall act accordingly.
We call on all dockworkers, drivers, and railway workers to unhesitatingly refuse any overtime and to insist on strict adherence to every single workplace safety rule, in the event they cannot launch an official strike, in order to slow down military transport flows. In this regard, we recall the heroic action of Florin Pătrăchioiu, the stationmaster who, in 1999, stopped a NATO military train at the Pielești station in Dolj County because he noticed the transport of weapons lacked the necessary paperwork. This can and must serve as an example.
For such efforts to bear fruit, they must be united with mobilizations of the residents near the Kogălniceanu base. We call upon them to reject expropriations, noise pollution, skyrocketing prices, and the transformation of their community into an appendage of the military-industrial complex, and to insist that the area retains its civilian purpose.
No matter where you work, join us if:
- You are against Romania’s participation in the war and do not believe Romanian territory should be a launchpad for bloodshed.
- You believe we should determine our future independently, without those who profit from war and our labor having any say.
- You want to oppose the brutal US and Israeli attacks on Iran, which have already killed 1,255 civilians (including 200 children) and injured tens of thousands more.
Not a single hour of work for the destruction of working people’s lives!
Neither Washington, nor Tehran, nor Tel Aviv!
Peace and development, not war and exploitation!
GAS – Socialist Action Group
University Solidarity Union
