KC-135 Stratotankers are prepped for a training exercise at Burgas Airport in Bulgaria in this undated photo. Bulgaria’s parliament will soon vote on a proposal to position up to eight U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft at one of its air bases to support U.S. operations in the Middle East, according to the country’s prime minister. (Daniel Gagnon/U.S. Air Force)
STUTTGART, Germany — Up to eight U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft could soon be positioned at a military base in Bulgaria, the country’s leader said this week.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Monday said Bulgaria’s parliament was expected to soon vote on the plan, which came at the request of the U.S. Embassy in Sofia.
The deployment would take place at Bezmer Air Base, about 200 miles east of Sofia. The planes would be used to support U.S. operations in the Middle East, Radev said, as quoted by the Bulgarian News Agency.
Radev’s announcement came just a month after he said U.S. Air Force planes operating at an airport in Sofia, the capital, needed to leave by the end of June.
He linked that decision to the U.S. refusal to allow visa-free travel for Bulgarian citizens. Soon afterward, however, the embassy issued a diplomatic note seeking access to the Bezmer base.
The note cited a 2006 defense cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and the United States as justification, Radev said.
It wasn’t clear when the Bulgarian parliament would take up the issue, but the push to get more aircraft in the country comes as the U.S. military once again ramps up military operations against Iran.
During the conflict, numerous bases across Europe have played a supporting role in U.S. operations. Military sites stretching from the United Kingdom and Germany to Romania, Greece and Bulgaria have factored into operations.
Meanwhile, some countries have blocked access to bases and airspace or put restrictions on the types of operations that can be carried out.
President Donald Trump has singled out Spain in particular for its opposition to the U.S. mission against Iran.