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The '''Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base''' is a military base located near the Black Sea city of Constanza Constanta in [[Romania]]. [http://useu.usmission.gov/Article.asp?ID=E274DE79-1EDE-4BB6-AB3E-84FF14B75FF1] The base was used "as a hub to transfer US soldiers and military property into [[Iraq]] during the early stage of the [[war in Iraq|Iraqi war]] that [[2003 invasion of Iraq|started in March 2003]]." [http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=344170] According to a June 2006 report in the ''Sunday Herald'' (UK), a fax intercepted by [[Switzerland|Swiss]] intelligence has revealed that the base is the site of a secret [[CIA]] prison:{{ref|mackay11June06}}
:"The fax, datelined November 10, 2005, 8.24pm, was sent by the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] foreign minister, [[Ahmed Aboul Gheit]], in Cairo, to his ambassador in London. It revealed that the US had detained at least 23 [[Iraq]]i and [[Afghanistan|Afghani]] captives at a military base called Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania, and added that similar secret prisons were also to be found in [[Poland]], [[Ukraine]], [[Kosovo]], [[Macedonia]] and [[Bulgaria]].
====2003====
*[http://www.usbiz.ro/us_news_file/press_releases163.php3 "Two US Senators Visit US and Romanian Military at Mihail Kogalniceanu,"] Embassy of the United States of America (Romania), April 14, 2003. re [[Mary Landrieu]] of Louisiana and [[Larry Craig]] of Idaho: "US Ambassador Michael Guest and the Senators toured the medical facilities on base, met for lunch with US military personnel, and saw the base's 'morale center.'" *[http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=344170 "US to set up two military bases in Romania`s Black Sea region,"] Angola Press, May 26, 2003: "Valeriu Nicut, director of the strategic planning department of the Romanian general staff, ... said Romania will offer the United States the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, a military camp and a shooting range near the camp and will provide logistic support." ====2004====*[http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/Oct2004/041011-F-5586B-376.html Photo], DefenseLink.mil: "Romanian Minister of Defense Ioan Mircea Pascu escorts Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and military officials on a tour of Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Constanta, Romania, on Oct 11, 2004. DoD photo by Master Sgt. James M. Bowman, U.S. Air Force." Press arrows for more photographs in series.
====2005====
*William J. Kole, [http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/12/4EuroSecret.html "Did U.S. have secret prison in Romania? Soviet-era air base suspected of being CIA detention center,"] Associated Press (''Austin American-Statesman'' (Texas)), December 4, 2005.
*[http://bucharest.usembassy.gov/Washington_File/200/05-12-06/eur205.htm "Transcript: Rice Hails Romania as One of United States' 'Strongest Friends'. (Historic U.S.-Romania military access agreement signed in Bucharest),"] Embassy of the United States of America Bucharest, December 6, 2005.
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/05/AR2005120501615.html Editorial: "A Weak Defense,"] ''Washington Post'', December 6, 2005.*Todd Richissin, [http://www.iiss.org/whats-new/iiss-in-the-press/press-coverage-2005/december-2005/merkel-says-rice-admits-us-fault "Merkel says Rice admits U.S. fault in abduction,"] ''Baltimore Sun'' ([[International Institute for Strategic Studies]]), December 7, 2005: Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]] "would not address an [http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1376816 ABC News report ] [video] that prisoners were removed from the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania shortly before Rice arrived in the country. ... 'I am not going to talk about whether such activities take place,' Rice said when asked about the Romanian base. 'To do so would clearly be to get into a realm of discussion about supposed or purported intelligence activities, and I simply won't do that.'"
*Vince Crawley, [http://useu.usmission.gov/Article.asp?ID=E274DE79-1EDE-4BB6-AB3E-84FF14B75FF1 "Southeast Europe Ministers Approve Troop Brigade for Afghanistan,"] [[United States Mission to the European Union]], [[U.S. Department of State]], December 7, 2005.
*Kai Frithjof Brand-Jakobsen, [http://www.transcend.org/t_database/articles.php?ida=598 "Romanian and US Militarism Increases Insecurity in South Eastern Europe and the Black Sea Region,"] ''TRANSCEND'', December 8, 2005.