NATO has stepped up surveillance of critical undersea infrastructure with enhanced air and naval patrols, especially in regions like the North and Baltic Seas. In addition, NATO is looking at new tech from the private sector to assist in these efforts.
Critical undersea infrastructure – such as pipelines, power cables and data lines – forms the backbone of modern life, carrying essential energy supplies, enabling financial transactions and transmitting over 95 per cent of global internet traffic.
In recent years, suspected sabotage and unexplained damage have exposed the vulnerability of these vital systems, raising serious security concerns.
Also read± HNLMS Johan de Witt departs for NATO deployment
Missions and new tech
NATO has upped its presence in the North and Baltic Sea to try and prevent sabotage. In addition, NATO has strengthened information-sharing among NATO Allies and partnered with the private sector to develop new technologies for detecting and deterring undersea threats.
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and other types of drones have a role to play in this, as well as artificial intellence (AI), which is used for example to track suspicious ship movements. The video below shows some of the efforts undertaken by NATO, with footage shot from Dutch minehunter Schiedam, which was part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and NATO mission Baltic Sentry.
New NATO security centre in UK
All these efforts are coordinated by a specialised cell based at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. In addition, a new centre for the security of critical undersea infrastructure has been established within the NATO maritime command in Northwood, United Kingdom, whose task is to coordinate operations and deploy forces to secure such important infrastructure.
Picture: HNLMS Schiedam was part of NATO mission Baltic Sentry (photo by Dutch Ministry of Defence).
Also read: VIDEO: NATO trials tech to protect undersea infrastructure
