At the Center of the Crossroads: A New U.S. Strategy for the East Med

The Eastern Mediterranean sits at the geographic and geostrategic nexus of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. This “sea between the lands” has become a crucial maritime connector for expansionist forces – including Turkey, Iran, Russia, China, and Islamist jihadists seeking to exert power from one of the surrounding regions to the next. At the same time, the Eastern Mediterranean itself is becoming an object of competition, its recently discovered undersea natural gas resources rendering a rich prize for whoever can discover, develop, and export them. In the face of these strategic developments, U.S. partners from around the region and beyond are trying to create new security arrangements to address this growing competition and maintain stability.

Despite these geopolitical realignments and the Eastern Mediterranean’s growing salience, current U.S. capabilities in the region are insufficient either to defend its interests or to support regional partners. And, as policymakers in Washington focus on competing in the Indo-Pacific, nearby U.S. forces that could contribute to Eastern Mediterranean security from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East likely will be reallocated. To balance its growing interests in the region’s stability with the coming realignment of its global force posture, the United States should re-envision the Eastern Mediterranean as a strategic asset and a multi-theater power projection platform, from which a smaller contingent of U.S. forces can effectively and efficiently address threats not just in the immediate vicinity but in surrounding areas as well.