becoming one of the key recipients of US-made military equip-
ment in Central Europe, one cannot rule out that the Freedom-
-class proposal may be attractive to the government in Bucha-
rest. Furthermore, one cannot overlook the fact that the Eastern
Flank needs further reinforcement, and that also includes naval
presence in the Black Sea region. Modern, western-made war-
ships may make it possible to replace some of the vessels, da-
ting back to the Warsaw Pact era.
se the US policy to dispose of used ships usually means they
are transferred as a gift to allied navies (which was the case for
the OHP class frigates for instance), it cannot be ruled out that
the Freedom-class vessels would be facing a similar scenario.
The potential recipients, as the media speculate, include Taiwan,
Egypt, and Romania. The former two are among the standing
recipients of the US military aid packages - including naval ves-
sels - that show a potential to rapidly reinforce the operational
capabilities. Furthermore, the Taiwan needs vessels that would
replace the obsolete Knox-class frigates.
Romania has also been listed as a potential new user. This is
related to the cancellation of a contract for delivery of Govind
2500 corvettes. Romania announced that it is considering an
ad hoc procurement of OPVs. Given the fact that Romania is
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