Task Force East

Black Sea Area Support Team
Flag of U.S. Flag of Romania Flag of Bulgaria
Active	2007-present
Country	United States, Romania, Bulgaria
Branch	U.S. Army
Part of	United States European Command, U.S. Army Europe

Black Sea Area Support Team (BS-AST) (Formerly Joint Task Force-East) is a United States European Command initiative executed by U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) designed to strengthen relationships between the United States and its Eastern European allies. This program is an innovative element of the Theater Security Cooperation program that focuses on enhancing partner capacity and fostering regional cooperation. TF-East provides the U.S. and its partners in Romania and Bulgaria with training facilities and, currently, a periodic integrated combined staff that stands up to facilitate combined training.

Exercises at BS-AST (Former: TF-East) hone U.S. and host nation-invited NATO partner nations’ ability to deploy forces and operate in austere conditions away from home stations. It enables training participants to learn from each other and improve their capabilities.

Operations in Romania and Bulgaria also provide the U.S. and its partners the opportunity to engage in and demonstrate the continuance of peaceful and friendly international relations through combined training using host nation installations to support and facilitate rotational training activities. The facilities used include the Romanian Air Force’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Airfield (MKAF) located in the city of the same name and the Romanian Land Forces Babadag Training Area located approximately 70 km to the north. In Bulgaria, the primary facility is located in the Novo Selo Training Area located near Mokren, Bulgaria. These are sovereign host nation bases with co-located U.S. funded constructed facilities that the U.S. military uses on a consignment basis as stipulated in the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the governments involved. The U.S. military units training at the facilities are guests; they remain under a clear U.S. chain of command.