{"id":42865,"date":"2021-11-04T17:39:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T17:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/11\/04\/romania-ukraine-say-more-troops-needed-on-the-black-sea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:13:07","slug":"romania-ukraine-say-more-troops-needed-on-the-black-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/11\/04\/romania-ukraine-say-more-troops-needed-on-the-black-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Romania, Ukraine say more troops needed on the Black Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2021\/10\/19\/ukraine-defense-minister-dont-compare-us-to-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ukraine<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/01\/14\/romanian-government-approves-naval-strike-missile-buy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Romania <\/a>want Western allies to step up their military presence in the Black Sea as they accuse Russia of militarizing the region, according to letters obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their overlapping warnings \u2014 that Russia\u2019s aggression and deployments of missile systems in Crimea threaten allies more broadly \u2014 came in dispatches from each country\u2019s ambassador to the U.S. Senate\u2019s Europe and Regional Security Cooperation subcommittee ahead of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/hearings\/black-sea-security-reviving-us-policy-toward-the-region102721\" target=\"_blank\">Black Sea hearing<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia has established the large anti-access\/area-denial (A2AD) exclusion zone on [the Black Sea]\u201a\u201d Ukraine\u2019s envoy, <a href=\"https:\/\/usa.mfa.gov.ua\/en\/governance\/oksana-markarova\" target=\"_blank\">Oksana Markarova<\/a>, wrote in her Oct. 29 letter, adding that Moscow uses the area as a springboard for its Syria operations. \u201cThe NATO\u2019s ability to defend its member-states and provide possible assistance to the third countries (Ukraine and Georgia) has been severely undermined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGrowing militarization of the Crimean peninsula endangers not only the littoral Black Sea States, but also [the] much wider region,\u201d the ambassador wrote, adding that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/08\/20\/nato-members-kabul-evacuation-battles-bottlenecks-outside-the-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\">NATO<\/a> should elaborate on joint response plans in the event Russia undertakes an armed attack on the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/10\/18\/us-georgia-sign-military-training-pact-amid-russian-threat-on-the-black-sea\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited<\/a> NATO ally Romania and alliance aspirants Ukraine and Georgia as part of a tour to reassure the allies and to urge them to cooperate on the Black Sea. During the trip, which ended at NATO\u2019s Brussels headquarters, neither Austin nor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/feindef\/2021\/11\/03\/nato-ups-the-ante-on-disruptive-tech-artificial-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\">NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg<\/a> unveiled plans for any force increases on the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no change to our operational capability or deterrence posture,\u201d Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth said Thursday. \u201cWe operate in the Black Sea and many other areas across the entire region on a regular basis, which is all part of our ongoing commitment and reassurance to our NATO allies and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/2021\/10\/22\/russia-fears-complicate-natos-new-china-focus\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/51615226735_f2d14bbfdd_o.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russia fears complicate NATO\u2019s new China focus<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Some Eastern European allies are saying the U.S.-China rivalry must not overshadow the alliance\u2019s original focus: Russia.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conversation comes as tension between Moscow and the West sunk to post-Cold War lows after Russia\u2019s 2014 annexation of Ukraine\u2019s Crimean Peninsula, its support for a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine and other irritants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with its ongoing economic and diplomatic efforts, Romania said it is already spending $3 billion to expand its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/07\/01\/our-adversaries-exploit-our-seams-trinational-deal-seeks-stronger-air-policing-coordination\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mihail Kog\u0103lniceanu Air Base<\/a> ninefold with the goal of hosting an expanded U.S. and allied presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its top recommendation is that allies create a comprehensive Black Sea strategy, but item two recommends Romania as a hub for increased joint exercises, pre-positioned military equipment and new forces. Right now, NATO\u2019s tailored forward presence in the region consists of only a headquarters element in Romania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCredible deterrence can be assured only through solid presence,\u201d read the Oct. 26 letter from Romania\u2019s envoy, Andrei Muraru. \u201cIncreasing U.S. military presence in Romania in all domains \u2015 land, air, and sea \u2015 including a U.S. command and control structure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecuring the NATO Eastern Flank in a unitary and coherent manner from the Baltic to the Black Sea, by implementing a single Forward Presence along the entire Flank that ensures stronger defense and reduces current vulnerabilities caused by the undeniable deterrence gap for the Black Sea region,\u201d the letter continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Romania also reiterated its support for Georgia and Ukraine\u2019s goal to join NATO, which is something Russia strongly opposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2021\/08\/09\/after-2014-decimation-ukrainian-navy-rebuilds-to-fend-off-russia\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. helping Ukraine continue to rebuild its naval forces<\/a>, Kyiv wants Washington\u2019s backing for a NATO presence on the Black Sea akin to NATO\u2019s forward presence on the Baltic Sea. NATO maintains four multinational battalion-size battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another of Ukraine\u2019s recommendations is: \u201cTo intensify NATO\u2019s rotating naval presence in the Black Sea, to support the freedom of navigation and facilitate trade routes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1195\" height=\"629\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Black-Sea_machine-gun.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-48023\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Black-Sea_machine-gun.jpg.jpg 1195w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Black-Sea_machine-gun.jpg.jpg?resize=300,158 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Black-Sea_machine-gun.jpg.jpg?resize=768,404 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Black-Sea_machine-gun.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,539 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1195px) 100vw, 1195px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sailor of the destroyer Ross prepares a machine gun during Sea Breeze 2021 maneuvers on the Black Sea July 7. (Efrem Lukatsky\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the complicated politics and history of the region make it difficult to develop either a regional or NATO-led approach, some experts believe Russia\u2019s stepped-up military activities could be a galvanizing force \u2015 if the U.S. leads the way. NATO ally Turkey, which dominates the Black Sea, has historically been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2021\/03\/25\/us-turkey-remain-divided-over-purchase-of-russias-s-400s\/\" target=\"_blank\">reluctant<\/a> toward a Western military presence there and shares close but complicated ties with Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At last week\u2019s hearing on the Black Sea, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/expert\/ian-brzezinski\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ian Brzezinski<\/a>, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO policy under the George W. Bush administration, suggested that the U.S., if Turkey is initially resistant, get creative and form a regional coalition of nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStand it up, prove its value, and next thing you know, you\u2019ll have a country like Turkey knocking on the door and saying: \u2018How can I be part of it?\u2019 And that\u2019s how all of a sudden it becomes a NATO organization,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brzezinski, among experts who testified in favor of a Western-led Black Sea strategy and military presence, suggested that presence could include an intelligence fusion cell, coastal batteries and land forces backed up by a U.S. brigade combat team in Romania and Bulgaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2021\/10\/05\/eastern-europeans-angst-over-us-posture-in-their-region-after-afghanistan-withdrawal\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-524072620.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Eastern Europeans angst over US posture in their region after Afghanistan withdrawal<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Eastern European defense ministers said they hope the United States would deploy more troops on their soil, fearing the Pentagon could cut its military presence on NATO\u2019s eastern flank.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Kremlin, meanwhile, is irritated by other Western action on the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/nuclear-arsenal\/2021\/06\/16\/biden-putin-set-consultations-on-updating-nuclear-pact\/\" target=\"_blank\">Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a> on Nov. 1 emphasized the need to strengthen the country\u2019s air defenses, he pointed to NATO\u2019s military activities near Russian borders. That included the deployment of NATO\u2019s U.S.-led missile defense components in Eastern Europe and increasingly frequent missions by NATO ships near Russian waters in the Baltic and Black seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe must further improve our air and space defense system as leading powers have been developing prospective high-speed strike weapons,\u201d Putin said during a meeting in Sochi with Russian military leaders. \u201cIt\u2019s also warranted by the military-political situation, including increasingly intensive flights by NATO aircraft near Russia and the appearance of the alliance\u2019s warships armed with guided missiles in the Baltic and Black Seas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia recently suspended its mission at NATO and ordered the closure of the alliance\u2019s office in Moscow after NATO had withdrawn the accreditation of eight Russian officials at NATO headquarters, saying it believed they had been secretly working for Russian intelligence. The deployment of U.S. and other NATO ships near waters it claims as its own are another source of tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven now, a U.S. warship has entered the Black Sea, and we can see it in binoculars or crosshairs of our defense systems,\u201d Putin said in an apparent reference to the deployment of the U.S. destroyer Porter, which had sailed into the Black Sea and was to be joined this week by Mount Whitney, the flagship of the U.S. Navy\u2019s 6th Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukraine and Romania want Western allies to step up their military presence in the Black Sea, according to letters obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":77805,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,13,16,26],"tags":[8545,8537],"coauthors":[3362],"class_list":["post-42865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-news","category-newsletters","tag-romania","tag-ukraine"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RCYNJAOSGVCF5CN3GQW5IK7R5I","arc_canonical_url":"\/digital-show-dailies\/feindef\/2021\/11\/04\/romania-ukraine-say-more-troops-needed-on-the-black-sea\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Romania, Ukraine say more troops needed on the Black Sea - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ukraine and Romania want Western allies to step up their military presence in the Black Sea, according to letters obtained by Defense News.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Romania, Ukraine say more troops needed on the Black Sea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ukraine and Romania want Western allies to step up their military presence in the Black Sea, according to letters obtained by Defense News.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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