Austin Pentagon Chief: Black Sea exercises are a component of containment strategy 
NATO countries in the Black Sea are a key component of an integrated deterrence strategy. This meaning was revealed by the head of the Pentagon Lloyd Austin on his Twitter account on Saturday, November 13.
The US Secretary of Defense recalled that he had repeatedly called the concept of integrated deterrence an effective way to deter military threats in the future.
“One of the key components of a truly integrated containment strategy is working closely with allies and partners around the world through joint ground, air and sea exercises,” Austin wrote, attaching several images of the exercise to his post.
On November 12, seven warships of the US, Turkish, Romanian and Ukrainian navies held exercises in international waters off the Romanian coast of the Black Sea. At the same time, it is assumed that the American ships will remain in the Romanian port of Constanta until November 14 inclusive.
On October 30, the USS Porter missile destroyer equipped with long-range cruise missiles entered the Black Sea, and on November 4, Mount Whitney , the flagship of the US 6th Operational Fleet. In Russia, such activity of NATO countries in the Black Sea was considered a serious challenge for the country and increased surveillance of US ships in the region.