WEBVTT

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Hello , I'm Dr Mara Carlin and I'm the

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Assistant Secretary of Defense for

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Strategy Plans and Capabilities in the

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Office of the US Secretary of Defense .

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Although I'm unable to join you in

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Bucharest today , I appreciate the

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opportunity to virtually address this

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distinct group . I'll share a few words

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today about how the United States views

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the strategic importance of the Black

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Sea region , the challenges we are

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facing and what the United States is

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doing to address those challenges in

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close partnership with our allies and

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with our partners . First and foremost ,

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the Black Sea region is an area of

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critical geostrategic importance . It

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links Europe to the Middle East and

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beyond and it is a key node for transit ,

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infrastructure and energy resources .

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It is also a key frontline for

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transatlantic security . Today , it is

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the site of the largest conflict in

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Europe since world war two , Europe and

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the world's response to Russia's full

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scale invasion of Ukraine is nothing

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short of extraordinary . Together , we

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must continue to impose costs on Russia

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for violating the core principles

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upholding global peace and security by

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seeking to change the borders of a

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sovereign nation by force as many

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observers have noted Vladimir Putin did

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not expect the robust US and NATO

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response across the eastern flank ,

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Germany's new Defense Posture and the

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accession of Finland and soon Sweden to

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the Alliance Secretary Austin every

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month has convened for more than a year .

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The Ukraine defense contact group of

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some 50 nations and they have garnered

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international support for Ukraine

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resulting in more than $55 billion in

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lethal assistance for Ukraine's

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military . This community of action has

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facilitated an unprecedented level of

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cooperation to meet Ukraine's immediate

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and longer term needs . Allies have

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doubled nato's battle groups on the

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eastern flank to a total of eight

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supporting a strong deterrence and

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defense from the Baltic to the Black

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Sea . And Romania's leadership in the

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Black Sea and Black Sea security has

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been critical to advancing NATO

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priorities . I had the privilege of

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seeing firsthand just how much Romania

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does when I visited last fall . We are

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especially grateful to Romania for

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hosting an increased us and allied

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rotational presence from Deu to MK Air

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Base to defend nato's eastern flank and

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the Black Sea region across all domains .

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We continue to encourage deeper

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cooperation among Black Sea allies and

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partners to deter and defend against

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Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine

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and the broader Black Sea region . This

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cooperation includes further efforts to

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increase information sharing to build

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common awareness in the maritime domain

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and beyond the United States and our

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allies and our partners are committed

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to supporting Ukraine for as long as it

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takes , Ukraine will continue to

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require the steadfast support of the

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international community to protect its

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skies and regain sovereign territory .

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There is a stark contrast indeed

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between the immense support for Ukraine

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on one hand and Russia's isolation on

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the international stage on the other ,

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you know , our approach to these

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challenges is guided by the US National

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defense strategy , which was released

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last year for the first time in an

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integrated way with the Nuclear Posture

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Review and the missile defense review .

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This has led to more seamless

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approaches to deterrence and to risk

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management and a tighter linkage

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between the Department of Defense's

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strategy and resources . The central

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premise of our national defense

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strategy is the urgent need to sustain

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and strengthen deterrence . With the

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pacing challenge from the People's

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Republic of China and the acute threat

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posed by Russia . In dealing with these

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challenges , the national defense

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strategy identifies our allies and our

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partners as our center of gravity . It

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is a call to action for breaking down

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barriers to working with our allies and

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our partners on common objectives . As

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part of our implementation , we are

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working closely with our allies to

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align our defense strategies and we are

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working hard to align our activities

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across all of the theaters , the

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domains and across the entire spectrum

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of conflict to allow each stakeholder

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to bring our comparative advantage , to

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bear our robust cooperation surrounding

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the war in Ukraine is a profound

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example of our strategy coming to life

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as we work across the US government and

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with our allies and partners to provide

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Ukraine with asymmetric capabilities to

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support its self defense . In line with

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our strategy in the Black Sea region ,

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the United States will continue to work

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with our NATO allies to advance

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military modernization to address

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Russia's military threat , including

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through our enhanced posture and

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exercises to improve security and

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prosperity for the region . The

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security of the Black Sea region will

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require a common approach to threats .

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Specifically , we must strengthen

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defensive anti access area denial

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capabilities , indications and warnings ,

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readiness through joint training and

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exercises and resilience including

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against gray zone and cyber actions .

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Our security environment in the Black

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Sea and beyond continues to evolve ,

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fueled by not only aggressive behavior

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from Russia and the People's Republic

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of China , but also the rapid pace of

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emerging technologies of climate change ,

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of epidemics and other global

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challenges with our clear and focused

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strategy and in lockstep with our

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allies and partners , we are acting to

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meet the moment today together we will

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shape a safer and more just world for

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generations to come . I'd like to thank

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the Romanian Ministry of National

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Defense and the new Strategy Center for

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organizing today's event . I'd like to

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thank them for their continued

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partnership and for all of their

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important efforts on these issues . And

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I wish you productive debates in the

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remainder of the program thank you very

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much and have a good conversation .