Black Sea Naval Co-operation Task Group
Encyclopedia
The Black Sea Naval Force (BLACKSEAFOR), was created in early 2001 under the leadership of Turkey
, with the participation of all other Black Sea
littoral
states, namely Bulgaria
, Romania
, Ukraine
, Russia
and Georgia
. The BLACKSEAFOR founding agreement was signed in Istanbul on 2 April 2001.
The original purpose of BLACKSEAFOR was to cooperatively promote security and stability in the Black Sea maritime
area and beyond, strengthen friendship and good neighborly relations among the regional States
, and increase interoperability
among those states' naval forces.
Soft security
efforts and military
activities, in addition to political dialogue, are being pursued in this framework. Search and rescue
operations, environmental protection
, and mine
-clearing were among the initial activities of BLACKSEAFOR. After the terrorist attacks in the USA on September the 11th, 2001, BLACKSEAFOR's scope of activity was expanded in order to include the fight against terrorism
. Littoral countries are still working on BLACKSEAFOR's transformation process, in order to better adapt the force to the new security environment.
BLACKSEAFOR is an on-call force and currently has no permanent headquarters
. It is activated twice yearly and the command structure is based on the principle of rotation. Each littoral
assumes leadership for a one-year period.
According to the BLACKSEAFOR Agreement, 2 scheduled activations take place each year. Unscheduled activations can also take place if participation of 4 ships is achieved.
Decisions are taken by consensus.
BLACKSEAFOR plays a role in preserving security
in the Black Sea maritime area. A risk assessment
conducted in 2005 by BLACKSEAFOR States stated that although the Black Sea is not fully immune from asymmetric risks, there are no alarming threats in the area with which the littoral states could not cope.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, with the participation of all other Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
states, namely Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. The BLACKSEAFOR founding agreement was signed in Istanbul on 2 April 2001.
The original purpose of BLACKSEAFOR was to cooperatively promote security and stability in the Black Sea maritime
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
area and beyond, strengthen friendship and good neighborly relations among the regional States
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
, and increase interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
among those states' naval forces.
Soft security
Soft security
Soft security usually refers to security which protects something from harm in quiet and unobtrusive ways, often invisibly and after the fact, rather than with visible barriers before the fact...
efforts and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
activities, in addition to political dialogue, are being pursued in this framework. Search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations, environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, and mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
-clearing were among the initial activities of BLACKSEAFOR. After the terrorist attacks in the USA on September the 11th, 2001, BLACKSEAFOR's scope of activity was expanded in order to include the fight against terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. Littoral countries are still working on BLACKSEAFOR's transformation process, in order to better adapt the force to the new security environment.
BLACKSEAFOR is an on-call force and currently has no permanent headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
. It is activated twice yearly and the command structure is based on the principle of rotation. Each littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
assumes leadership for a one-year period.
According to the BLACKSEAFOR Agreement, 2 scheduled activations take place each year. Unscheduled activations can also take place if participation of 4 ships is achieved.
Decisions are taken by consensus.
BLACKSEAFOR plays a role in preserving security
Security
Security is the degree of protection against danger, damage, loss, and crime. Security as a form of protection are structures and processes that provide or improve security as a condition. The Institute for Security and Open Methodologies in the OSSTMM 3 defines security as "a form of protection...
in the Black Sea maritime area. A risk assessment
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is a step in a risk management procedure. Risk assessment is the determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a concrete situation and a recognized threat...
conducted in 2005 by BLACKSEAFOR States stated that although the Black Sea is not fully immune from asymmetric risks, there are no alarming threats in the area with which the littoral states could not cope.
See also
- Operation Black Sea HarmonyOperation Black Sea HarmonyBlack Sea Harmony is a naval operation initiated by Turkey in March 2004 in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1373, 1540 and 1566 aimed at deterring terrorism and asymmetric threats worldwide...
- 1936 Montreux Convention governing the passage of military ships into the Black SeaMontreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish StraitsThe Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits was a 1936 agreement that gives Turkey control over the Bosporus Straits and the Dardanelles and regulates military activity in the region. The Convention gives Turkey full control over the Straits and guarantees the free passage of...
External links
- Blackseafor
- http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20100816/160223460.html Blackseafor exercises strengthen security on the Black Sea