It is not enough just to cooperate, you also need to know the peculiarity of the local mentality. This is the opinion of Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dyncu, who explained the long-term theft of fuel at the American military base.
"Although the theft was allegedly committed by a group of local residents, the Americans' neglect and ignorance of local culture undoubtedly contributed to the crime. The supply point should be better guarded. Our military keeps all its facilities, including unused ones, under special control to prevent them from being looted and dismantled by local residents," the minister commented on the investigation into the theft of fuel at the Mikhail Kogalnichanu airbase.
Diesel generator at the Mikhail Kogalnichanu Airbase
Image source: stripes.com
According to the portal euractiv.com, seven suspects in causing losses to the US federal government in the amount of $2 million are local residents. They were hired by an outside company responsible for operating fuel dispensers for generators powering the airbase equipment.
The thefts reportedly continued between 2017 and 2021. American soldiers found a regular fuel shortage, after which they turned to the local prosecutor's office. The suspects have been taken into custody. The Mikhail Kogalnichanu airbase at the international airport of the same name is used by NATO. Depending on the operational tasks, there are from 500 to 1600 American military personnel on it. In the future, the base is planned to be expanded and modernized — in 2019, the Romanian government promised to allocate € 2.5 billion for this.
