Freedom of commerce in the Azov and Black Seas may only be enforceable by the US Navy

Freedom of commerce in the Azov and Black Seas may only be enforceable by the US Navy, which has defended freedom of shipping in the region since 1801-1805, when it defeated Barbary pirates off the coast of North Africa. On Sunday, the USS Fort McHenry, a US Navy landing ship with several hundred US Marines aboard, moved through Turkey’s Dardanelles Strait into the Black Sea. From the Naples, Italy headquarters of the Sixth Fleet, Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti, fleet commander, said “USS Fort McHenry’s transit… reaffirms our collective resolve to Black Sea security.”