The Black Sea region is of crucial significance for Europe, being a major crossroads and critical intersection of east-west and south-north corridors. Many experts believe that whoever controls or dominates the Black Sea can easily project power to the European continent, mainly in the Balkans and Central Europe, but also in the Eastern Mediterranean, the South Caucasus, and the northern Middle East. The Black Sea region forms the south-eastern flank of the NATO Alliance, and is home to three NATO members (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey) and several NATO partner countries. As a result, any instability or hostility in the area directly impacts the Alliance. In light of the regional realities and security challenges, NATO has strengthened its deterrence and defense posture with tailored forward presence measures. These are a peacetime demonstration of NATO's resolve to ensure effective deterrence and credible collective defense. At the Warsaw Summit, Allied leaders stated that more stable NATO neighbors mean more security for the Alliance and that “ …against the background of increasingly unstable global security environment… NATO seeks to contribute more to the efforts of the international community in projecting stability and strengthening security outside its territory, thereby contributing to Alliance security overall.” NATO has the political clout of its 29 member states and the most advanced defense capabilities at its disposal for the collective defense of each of its members. It lends political support to its partners as well as helping them build sound defense institutions that generate the capacity to protect their national sovereignty.