About 4,000 US soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division will remain in southeast Romania for at least nine months longer, Pentagon officials said Saturday. The troops are stationed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, across the Black Sea from Russian forces in Crimea, the New York Times reports. It's the closest Army unit to the fighting in Ukraine and would provide the first line of defense should Russian forces move west. American troops train NATO forces at the base. The Pentagon also said it's sending a two-star general there, which analysts said could help provide quick decision-making if Russia encroaches on NATO territory. In other developments: