 Hello, I'm Dr. Mara Carlin, and I'm the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Although I'm unable to join you in Bucharest today, I appreciate the opportunity to virtually address this distinguished group. I'll share a few words today about how the United States views the strategic importance of the Black Sea region, the challenges we are facing, and what the United States is doing to address those challenges in close partnership with our allies and with our partners. First and foremost, the Black Sea region is an area of critical geostrategic importance. It links Europe to the Middle East and beyond, and it is a key node for transit infrastructure and energy resources. It is also a key frontline for transatlantic security. Today, it is the site of the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. Europe, in the world's response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is nothing short of extraordinary. Together, we must continue to impose costs on Russia for violating the core principles upholding global peace and security by seeking to change the borders of a sovereign nation by force. As many observers have noted, Vladimir Putin did not expect the robust U.S. and NATO response across the Eastern flank, Germany's new defense posture and the accession of Finland and soon Sweden to the alliance. Secretary Austin every month has convened for more than a year the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of some 50 nations, and they have garnered international support for Ukraine, resulting in more than $55 billion in lethal assistance for Ukraine's military. This community of action has facilitated an unprecedented level of cooperation to meet Ukraine's immediate and longer-term needs. Allies have doubled NATO's battle groups on the Eastern flank to a total of eight, supporting a strong deterrence and defense from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In Romania's leadership in the Black Sea and Black Sea security has been critical to advancing NATO priorities. I had the privilege of seeing firsthand just how much Romania does when I visited last fall. We are especially grateful to Romania for hosting an increased U.S. and Allied rotational presence from Devaselu to MK Air Base to defend NATO's Eastern flank and the Black Sea region across all domains. We continue to encourage deeper cooperation among Black Sea allies and partners to deter and defend against Russia's ongoing aggression in Ukraine and the broader Black Sea region. This cooperation includes further efforts to increase information sharing to build common awareness in the maritime domain and beyond. The United States and our allies and our partners are committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukraine will continue to require the steadfast support of the international community to protect its skies and regain sovereign territory. There is a stark contrast indeed between the immense support for Ukraine on one hand and Russia's isolation on the international stage on the other. Our approach to these challenges is guided by the U.S. National Defense Strategy which was released last year for the first time in an integrated way with the nuclear posture review and the missile defense review. This has led to more seamless approaches to deterrence and to risk management and a tighter linkage between the Department of Defense's strategy and resources. The central premise of our National Defense Strategy is the urgent need to sustain and strengthen deterrence with the pacing challenge from the People's Republic of China and the acute threat posed by Russia. In dealing with these challenges, the National Defense Strategy identifies our allies and our partners as our center of gravity. It is a call to action for breaking down barriers to working with our allies and our partners on common objectives. As part of our implementation, we are working closely with our allies to align our defense strategies and we are working hard to align our activities across all of the theaters, the domains and across the entire spectrum of conflict to allow each stakeholder to bring our comparative advantage to bear. Our robust cooperation surrounding the war in Ukraine is a profound example of our strategy coming to life as we work across the U.S. government and with our allies and partners to provide Ukraine with asymmetric capabilities to support its self-defense. In line with our strategy in the Black Sea region, the United States will continue to work with our NATO allies to advance military modernization to address Russia's military threat, including through our enhanced posture and exercises to improve security and prosperity for the region. The security of the Black Sea region will require a common approach to threats. Specifically, we must strengthen defensive anti-access area denial capabilities, indications and warnings, readiness through joint training and exercises, and resilience, including against gray zone and cyber actions. Our security environment in the Black Sea and beyond continues to evolve, fueled by not only aggressive behavior from Russia and the People's Republic of China, but also the rapid pace of emerging technologies of climate change, of epidemics and other global challenges. With our clear and focused strategy and in lockstep with our allies and partners, we are acting to meet the moment today. Together, we will shape a safer and more just world for generations to come. I'd like to thank the Romanian Ministry of National Defense and the New Strategy Center for organizing today's event. I'd like to thank them for their continued partnership and for all of their important efforts on these issues. And I wish you productive debates in the remainder of the program. Thank you very much and have a good conversation.