Carstens Consulting Global Inc. (CCG) was on the floor of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., from October 12 to 14 for the 2026 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition. The theme this year was “America’s Army: The Foundation of the Joint Force,” and the event drew more than 45,000 participants from over 100 countries, with hundreds of exhibits covering everything from air defense to counter-drone systems. For a firm that works every day on the Black Sea and Southeast Europe, it is the one week of the year when the U.S. Army, its industry base, and its allies are all in the same place.
Romania was well represented. A significant delegation of government and industry leaders traveled to Washington and used the week for business-to-business meetings with U.S. Army leadership and American companies, with a focus on air defense, counter-drone capabilities, and co-production. CCG worked alongside the delegation throughout, helping to open doors and keep conversations moving from introductions toward concrete follow-up.
CCG’s Founder and CEO, Col. (Ret.) David H. Carstens, also took the podium at the “Black Sea and Croatia Defense Opportunities” workshop organized by the U.S. Commercial Service. He spoke about what the Black Sea region offers to U.S. and allied companies today. Romania sits on NATO’s eastern flank and has committed 3.7 percent of its GDP to defense and security in 2026, with a target of 5 percent by 2030. Its Armed Forces endowment plan for 2025 to 2034 is driving major programs, including the transition to F-35 fighter jets, Patriot air defense, HIMARS rocket artillery, new armored vehicles, and the revival of naval corvette and submarine projects. Procurement relies heavily on Foreign Military Sales and offset agreements, which creates real room for local assembly, technology transfer, and industrial partnerships. His message to the audience was that the region is not a distant market, because the security challenges of the Black Sea are felt in Romania every week, and that is exactly why the investment and the opportunity are there.
David Carstens also came to Washington in his role as founding president of the AUSA Prince Cuza Chapter in Bucharest. The Chapter began as a satellite of the GEN Creighton W. Abrams Chapter in Wiesbaden and is now growing into a full chapter serving Romania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Moldova. Under his leadership it has become a working bridge between American and allied forces, industry, and institutions, organizing seminars with senior U.S. Army leaders for the Romanian defense community, building a lasting Romanian-American network, and delivering care packages to Romanian veterans. The reception the Chapter hosted for the Romanian delegation at the Ambassador’s residence was one of the highlights of the week.
CCG thanks AUSA, the U.S. Commercial Service, and everyone who made the week productive, and looks forward to building on these conversations in the months ahead.