International

NATO Launches New Sea Mission to Protect Undersea Infrastructure

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the launch of a new mission to safeguard undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region. The announcement was made during a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, attended by leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. Rutte stated that the mission, dubbed “Baltic Sentry,” will involve a range of assets, including frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and a small fleet of naval drones to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence. He emphasized that the initiative is designed to “enhance our vigilance in the Baltic.”

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The decision follows many accidents since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 that have affected vital undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. A string of underwater explosions in September 2022 damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, which carried Russian gas to Europe. These explosions’ cause is yet unknown.

While Russia has repeatedly blamed the United States and United Kingdom without evidence, both countries have denied any involvement. An undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was shut down in October 2023 after being damaged by a Chinese cargo ship’s anchor. Most recently, Finland detained the Eagle S tanker in connection with a subsea cable damage incident that occurred on Christmas Day.

NATO Launches New Sea Mission to Protect Undersea Infrastructure
Photo Credit: apnews.com

Furthermore, Rutte highlighted the critical importance of undersea cables, noting that they carry over 95% of internet traffic and facilitate approximately $10 trillion in daily financial transactions. He asserted that the alliance has observed “elements of a campaign to destabilise our societies through cyberattacks, assassination attempts and sabotage, including possible sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.”

He also underscored NATO’s firm stance against such attacks, stating, “NATO’s adversaries must know that the alliance will not accept attacks on its critical infrastructure,” and affirming that “we will do everything in our power to make sure that we fight back.”

Finally, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed concern over the “totally unacceptable” increase in damages to undersea infrastructure but cautioned against prematurely assigning blame. He told reporters, “These damages seem to have been increasing in numbers recently,” upon his arrival at the meeting in Helsinki.

Source: Al Jazeera

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