[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;
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(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.
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