[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1680 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1680

    To provide for security in the Black Sea region, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2023

Mr. Keating (for himself and Mr. Turner) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for security in the Black Sea region, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Black Sea Security Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON BLACK SEA SECURITY.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) it is in the interest of the United States to support 
        efforts to prevent the spread of further armed conflict in 
        Europe by recognizing the Black Sea region as an arena of 
        Russian aggression;
            (2) littoral states of the Black Sea are critical in 
        countering aggression by the Government of the Russian 
        Federation and contributing to the collective security of NATO;
            (3) the repeated, illegal, unprovoked, and violent attempts 
        of the Russian Federation to expand its territory and control 
        access to the Mediterranean Sea through the Black Sea 
        constitutes a threat to the national security of the United 
        States and NATO;
            (4) the United States condemns attempts by the Russian 
        Federation to change or alter boundaries in the Black Sea 
        region by force or any means contrary to international law and 
        to impose a sphere of influence across the region;
            (5) the United States and its allies should robustly 
        counter Russia's illegitimate territorial claims on the Crimean 
        Peninsula, along Ukraine's territorial waters in the Black Sea 
        and the Sea of Azov, in the Black Sea's international waters, 
        and in the territories it is illegally occupying in Ukraine;
            (6) the United States should continue to work within NATO 
        and with NATO Allies to develop a long-term strategy to enhance 
        security, establish a permanent, sustainable presence along 
        NATO's eastern flank, and bolster the democratic resilience of 
        its allies and partners in the region;
            (7) the United States should work within NATO and with NATO 
        Allies to develop a regular, rotational maritime presence in 
        the Black Sea;
            (8) the United States should also work with the European 
        Union on coordinating a strategy to support democratic 
        initiatives and economic prosperity in the region, which 
        includes two European Union members and four European Union 
        aspirant nations;
            (9) Turkey's behavior towards some regional allies and 
        democratic states has been counterproductive and has 
        contributed to increased tensions in the region, and Turkey 
        should avoid any actions to further escalate regional tensions;
            (10) the United States should work to foster dialogue among 
        countries within the Black Sea region to improve communication 
        and intelligence sharing and increase cyber defense 
        capabilities;
            (11) countries with historic and economic ties to Russia 
        are looking to the United States and Europe to provide a 
        positive economic presence in the broader region as a 
        counterbalance to the Russian Federation's malign influence in 
        the region;
            (12) it is in the interest of the United States to support 
        and bolster the economic ties between the United States and 
        Black Sea states;
            (13) the United States should support the initiative 
        undertaken by central and eastern European states to advance 
        the Three Seas Initiative Fund to strengthen transport, energy, 
        and digital infrastructure connectivity in the region between 
        the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea, and Black Sea;
            (14) there are mutually beneficial opportunities for 
        increased investment and economic expansion, particularly on 
        energy, climate, and transport infrastructure initiatives, 
        between the United States and Black Sea states and the broader 
        region;
            (15) improved economic ties between the United States and 
        the Black Sea states and the broader region can lead to a 
        strengthened strategic partnership;
            (16) the United States must seek to address the food 
        security challenges arising from disruption of Ukraine's Black 
        Sea and Azov Sea ports, as this global challenge will have 
        critical national security implications for the United States, 
        our partners, and allies;
            (17) Turkey, in coordination with the United Nations, has 
        played an important role in alleviating global food insecurity 
        by negotiating two agreements to allow grain exports from 
        Ukrainian ports through a safe corridor in the Black Sea;
            (18) Russia has a brutal history of using hunger as a 
        weapon and must be stopped;
            (19) countering the PRC's coercive economic pursuits 
        remains an important policy imperative in order to further 
        integrate the Black Sea states into western economies and 
        improve regional stability; and
            (20) Turkey's continued delay in ratifying Sweden and 
        Finland's accession to NATO undermines the strength of the 
        alliance and inhibits the united international response to 
        Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine.

SEC. 3. UNITED STATES POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to--
            (1) actively deter the threat of Russia's further 
        escalation in the Black Sea region and defend freedom of 
        navigation in the Black Sea to prevent the spread of further 
        armed conflict in Europe;
            (2) advocate within NATO, among NATO Allies, and within the 
        European Union to develop a long-term coordinated strategy to 
        enhance security, establish a permanent, sustainable presence 
        in the eastern flank, and bolster the democratic resilience of 
        United States allies and partners in the region;
            (3) advocate within NATO and among NATO Allies to develop a 
        regular, rotational maritime presence in the Black Sea;
            (4) support and bolster the economic ties between the 
        United States and Black Sea partners and mobilize the 
        Department of State, the Department of Defense, and other 
        relevant Federal departments and agencies by enhancing the 
        United States presence and investment in Black Sea states;
            (5) provide economic alternatives to the PRC's coercive 
        economic options that destabilize and further erode economic 
        integration of the Black Sea states;
            (6) ensure that the United States continues to support 
        Black Sea states' efforts to strengthen their democratic 
        institutions to prevent corruption and accelerate their 
        advancement into the Euroatlantic community; and
            (7) encourage the initiative undertaken by central and 
        eastern European states to advance the Three Seas Initiative to 
        strengthen transport, energy, and digital infrastructure 
        connectivity in the region between the Adriatic Sea, Baltic 
        Sea, and Black Sea.

SEC. 4. BLACK SEA SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

    (a) Black Sea Security and Development Strategy.--Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the National 
Security Council, in coordination with the Department of State, the 
Department of Defense, and other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, is authorized to direct an interagency strategy to increase 
coordination with NATO and the European Union, deepen economic ties, 
strengthen energy security, support efforts to bolster their democratic 
resilience, and enhance security assistance with our regional partners 
in accordance with the values and interests of the United States.
    (b) Purpose and Objectives.--The initiative established under 
subsection (a) shall have the following goals and objectives:
            (1) Ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of 
        security assistance to regional partners in accordance with the 
        values and interests of the United States, prioritizing 
        assistance that will bolster defenses against hybrid warfare 
        and improve interoperability with NATO forces.
            (2) Bolstering United States support for the region's 
        energy security and integration with Europe and reducing their 
        dependence on Russia while supporting energy diversification.
            (3) Mitigating the impact of economic coercion by the 
        Russian Federation and the PRC on Black Sea states and 
        identifying new opportunities for foreign direct investment 
        from the United States and cooperating countries and the 
        enhancement of United States business ties with regional 
        partners in accordance with the values and interests of the 
        United States.
            (4) Increasing high-level engagement between the United 
        States and regional partners, and reinforcing economic growth, 
        financing quality infrastructure, and reinforcing trade with a 
        focus on improving high-level economic cooperation.
            (5) Increasing United States coordination with the European 
        Union and NATO to maximize effectiveness and minimize 
        duplication.
    (c) Activities.--
            (1) Security.--The strategy established under subsection 
        (a) should include the following elements related to security:
                    (A) A plan to increase interagency coordination on 
                the Black Sea region.
                    (B) An assessment of whether a United States-led 
                initiative with NATO allies to increase coordination, 
                presence, and regional engagement among Black Sea 
                states is advisable.
                    (C) A strategy to increase security assistance 
                toward Black Sea states, focused on Ukraine, Romania, 
                Bulgaria, Moldova, and Georgia.
                    (D) Prioritization of intelligence, surveillance, 
                and reconnaissance systems to monitor Russia's 
                operations in the Black Sea region.
                    (E) An assessment of the value of establishing a 
                joint, multinational three-star headquarters on the 
                Black Sea, responsible for planning, readiness, 
                exercises, and coordination of all Allied and partner 
                military activity in the greater Black Sea region.
                    (F) An assessment of the challenges and 
                opportunities of establishing a regular, rotational 
                NATO maritime presence in the Black Sea, including an 
                analysis of the capacity, capabilities, and commitment 
                of NATO members to create this type of mission.
                    (G) An overview of Foreign Military Financing, 
                International Military Education and Training, and 
                other United States security assistance to the region.
                    (H) A plan for communicating the changes to NATO 
                posture to the public in allied and partner countries, 
                as well as to publics in the Russian Federation and 
                Belarus.
                    (I) A plan for combating Russian disinformation and 
                propaganda in the Black Sea region, utilizing the 
                resources of the United States Government, including 
                the Global Engagement Center.
                    (J) A plan to promote greater freedom of navigation 
                to allow for greater security and economic Black Sea 
                access.
            (2) Economic prosperity.--The strategy established under 
        subsection (a) shall include the following elements related to 
        economic prosperity:
                    (A) A strategy to foster dialogue between experts 
                from the United States and from the Black Sea states on 
                economic expansion, foreign direct investment, 
                strengthening rule of law initiatives, and mitigating 
                economic coercion by Russia and the PRC.
                    (B) A strategy for all the relevant Federal 
                departments and agencies that contribute to United 
                States economic statecraft to expand their presence and 
                identify new opportunities for private investment with 
                regional partners in accordance with the values and 
                interests of the United States.
                    (C) Assessments on energy diversification, focusing 
                on the immediate need to replace energy supplies from 
                Russia, and recognizing the long-term importance of 
                broader energy diversification, including clean energy 
                initiatives.
                    (D) Assessments of potential food security 
                solutions, including sustainable, long-term 
                arrangements beyond the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
            (3) Democratic resilience.--The strategy established under 
        subsection (a) shall include the following elements related to 
        democratic resilience:
                    (A) A strategy to increase independent media and 
                United States-supported media initiatives to combat 
                foreign malign influence in the Black Sea region.
                    (B) Greater mobilization of initiatives spearheaded 
                by the Global Engagement Center and the United States 
                Agency for International Development to counter Russian 
                propaganda and disinformation in the Black Sea region.
            (4) Regional connectivity.--The strategy established under 
        subsection (a) shall promote regional connectivity by sending 
        high-level representatives of the Department of State or other 
        agency partners to--
                    (A) the Black Sea region not less frequently than 
                twice a year; and
                    (B) major regional fora on infrastructure and 
                energy security, including the Three Seas Initiative 
                Summit.
    (d) Identification of Necessary Programs and Resources.--Not later 
than 360 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
interagency shall identify any necessary program, policy, or budgetary 
resources required, by agency, to support implementation of the Black 
Sea Security Strategy for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026.
    (e) Responsibilities of Federal Departments and Agencies.--Nothing 
under this section shall be deemed to authorize the National Security 
Council to assume any of the responsibilities or authorities of the 
head of any Federal department, agency, or office, including the 
foreign affairs responsibilities and authorities of the Secretary of 
State, to oversee the implementation of programs and policies under 
this section.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
                Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations 
                of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Black sea states.--The term ``Black Sea states'' means 
        Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia.
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