[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2673-S2675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 541. Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. Romney) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 2226, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1213. BLACK SEA SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Black 
     Sea Security Act of 2023''.
       (b) Sense of Congress on Black Sea Security.--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 work with the European Union 
     on coordinating a strategy to support democratic initiatives 
     and economic prosperity in the region, which includes 2 
     European Union members and 4 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;

[[Page S2674]]

       (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 2 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.
       (c) United States Policy.--It is the policy of the United 
     States--
       (1) to 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) to 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) to advocate within NATO and among NATO allies to 
     develop a regular, rotational maritime presence in the Black 
     Sea;
       (4) to 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) to provide economic alternatives to the PRC's coercive 
     economic options that destabilize and further erode economic 
     integration of the Black Sea states;
       (6) to 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) to 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.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
       (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (E) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (F) 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.
       (3) PRC.--The term ``PRC'' means the People's Republic of 
     China.
       (e) 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--
       (1) to increase coordination with NATO and the European 
     Union;
       (2) to deepen economic ties;
       (3) to strengthen energy security;
       (4) to support efforts to bolster their democratic 
     resilience; and
       (5) to enhance security assistance with our regional 
     partners in accordance with the values and interests of the 
     United States.
       (f) Purpose and Objectives.--The strategy authorized under 
     subsection (e) 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.
       (g) Activities.--
       (1) Security.--The strategy authorized under subsection (e) 
     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, which is 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 Black Sea region.
       (H) A plan for communicating the changes to NATO posture to 
     the public in allied and partner countries and to the public 
     in the Russian Federation and Belarus.
       (I) A plan for combating Russian disinformation and 
     propaganda in the Black Sea region that utilizes 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 authorized under 
     subsection (e) 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 authorized under 
     subsection (e) 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 authorized under 
     subsection (e) 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 per 
     year; and
       (B) major regional fora on infrastructure and energy 
     security, including the Three Seas Initiative Summit.
       (h) Identification of Necessary Programs and Resources.--
     Not later than 360 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the interagency strategy shall identify any 
     necessary program, policy, or budgetary resources required, 
     by agency, to support the implementation of the Black Sea 
     Security Strategy for fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026.
       (i) Responsibilities of Federal Departments and Agencies.--
     Nothing under this section may be construed 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.

[[Page S2675]]

  

                                 ______