NATO to Reinforce Baltic Sea Presence
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Friday that the organization will increase its presence in the Baltic Sea. This move comes after alleged sabotage of submarine cables in the Gulf of Finland.
NATO’s Naval Forces in the Region
The Swedish Navy reports that NATO has two permanent naval forces, each consisting of four or five ships, assigned to northern Europe. These forces are the closest to the Baltic Sea and could potentially be deployed to the area.
Sweden’s Role in the Increased Presence
According to Jimmie Adamsson, the Swedish Navy’s press officer, the Swedish ships were at sea during the Christmas holidays and took on greater responsibility in the southern and central Baltic Sea during the Finnish operation. Adamsson stated that the navy is willing to increase its presence with ships on alert if NATO requests it.
“We are prepared to participate with additional forces,” Adamsson said.
NATO’s Support for Finland and Estonia
NATO headquarters in Brussels confirmed that work is underway to support Finland and Estonia, but did not provide specific details on what an increased presence will mean. Gudmundur Bjorn Thorbjornsson wrote, “NATO fully supports Estonia and Finland as they investigate possible sabotage of submarine cables in the Baltic Sea and take measures to protect critical infrastructure. NATO remains alert and working to provide additional support, including by strengthening our military presence in the Baltic Sea.”
Sweden’s Prime Minister on the Situation
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson maintained contacts with Alexander Stubb and Mark Rutte, and emphasized the need for the Nordic and Baltic countries to strengthen their security. Kristersson also mentioned that increased surveillance by the Swedish Coast Guard is part of this effort.
Coast Guard Efforts to Protect Underwater Infrastructure
The Swedish Coast Guard has strengthened control of maritime traffic, with the purpose of protecting critical underwater infrastructure. Daniel Stenling, deputy chief operating officer of the Coast Guard, commented, “The Coast Guard takes the recent recurring damage to underwater infrastructure seriously. Due to the incident in the Gulf of Finland, the Coast Guard has strengthened maritime surveillance. This is carried out, among other things, by ship and aircraft.”