Black Sea: A Pressure Point Between NATO and Russia

Black Sea security has become a top NATO concern since Russia’s incursion in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. A lot of Russia’s ships and aircraft being used in Syria come out of the Black Sea, Magnus Nordenman, a director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative with the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, tells The Cipher Brief. For these and other reasons, NATO members have agreed to enhance defense in Romania and Bulgaria. The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with Nordenman about what bolstering defense there really means and why the U.S. is involved.

The Cipher Brief: At the NATO Warsaw Summit last year, NATO members decided to bolster defense in Romania and Bulgaria with a tailored forward presence. What does that mean exactly?