NATO strengthens reconnaissance and surveillance in the Black Sea after Alliance Council meeting

Following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at ambassadorial level, NATO announced the deployment of additional reconnaissance, monitoring and expertise assets to the Black Sea. The meeting was convened at the initiative of Romania and Bulgaria due to the growing threat of drone use in the region. The statements were made by Alliance spokesperson Alison Hart.

Sevara AzamovaFirst published on tafs uz 22 October 2026 at 12:191 min read

The key facts

NATO will send additional reconnaissance, monitoring and expertise assets to the Black Sea
The Alliance Council meeting was convened by Romania and Bulgaria
The reason was the growing threat of drone use in the region

Decision following the NATO Council meeting

NATO intends to strengthen its presence in the Black Sea and send additional reconnaissance and surveillance assets to the region. The decision was announced following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at ambassadorial level dedicated to the situation in the area. This was reported by Alliance spokesperson Alison Hart on the social network X. 'NATO ambassadors held a meeting of the North Atlantic Council today on the situation in the Black Sea,' she noted.

Drones were the reason

According to Hart, the reason for the meeting was the growing threat of drone use in the region. To strengthen security, the Alliance decided to allocate additional capabilities for gathering intelligence, monitoring the situation and studying unmanned systems. 'NATO will send additional capabilities to the region, including reconnaissance, monitoring and expertise assets,' the organization's spokesperson stated.

Initiative of Romania and Bulgaria

The meeting was convened at the initiative of Romania and Bulgaria — both countries are NATO members and have access to the Black Sea. It was previously reported that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made a statement about a possible strengthening of the Alliance's military presence in the Black Sea; the reason then was drone attacks on merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria.