Sheep that graze near the Deveselu military base in southern Romania have been keeping US soldiers that guard the antimissile defense system Aegis Ashore alert as they often touch the fence surrounding the unit triggering the alarm sensors.

The local authorities in the villages of Deveselu and Stoienesti have been trying for several years to relocate the sheepfold, which was already there when the Americans started installing the missile shield. However, the sheepfold's owner doesn't want to move until he gets compensated by the Romanian state. Several lawsuits between the owner, the local authorities and Romania's Defense Ministry are currently ongoing.

The sheepfold, which was built in 2008, is located some 30 meters away from the military base. Romania decided in 2011 to host the US missile shield at Deveselu and the work on setting it up started in 2013. A law also came into force in 2013 outlining a security zone surrounding the military base. According to the law, any construction built around the military unit needs to receive the approval of the National Defense Ministry.

The sheepfold is located at the border between the Stoienesti commune and Deveselu, in Olt county. In 2014, the Olt County Council sued the owner of the sheepfold, asking for the construction to be demolished, Profit.ro reported.

“We have talked to him, told him to move the sheepfold, demolish it and set it up somewhere else. The sheepfold and the sheep interfere with their activity [e.n. that of the military base],” Damian Alexandru, the mayor of Stoienesti, told Digi24. He also explained that the sensors from the fence of the military unit are activated when the sheep get to close.

In his turn, the owner sued the Defense Ministry trying to get compensations for taking down the sheepfold. The lawsuit is still ongoing. The Defense Ministry received a favorable decision from the Bucharest Court of Appeals in 2015 but the sheepfold owner appealed it. The appeal will be judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice in January of next year. If he is successful, the owner could receive damages for having the construction demolished. In the meantime, the Caracal Court rejected his request for damages as being outdated. In April of this year, the Olt Court decided that the sheepfold should be demolished and the owner fined RON 3,000 (EUR 652).

The system installed at Deveselu is part of the US anti-missile shield and will be an integrated part of NATO’s anti-ballistic defense system. It is one of the most important such bases in Europe and has been designed as a defense system against attacks from outside Europe. The facility is under the US Navy command and has about 200 people working there, including civilian emoployees, contractors and US sailors.

Cargo ship carrying sheep from Romania sinks Russian military vessel

Romanian agriculture minister wants sheep used for country branding

editor@romania-insider.com