MILAN — Following a series of sabotage incidents against underwater infrastructure, NATO has launched a maritime patrol mission in the Baltic Sea that will include frigates, naval drones, submarines and surveillance aircraft in a show of force against a shadowy fleet of vessels suspected of doing Moscow’s bidding.
The operation, dubbed “Baltic Sentry,” will dispatch national contributions as well as joint assets to the strategically located body of water. The alliance’s Commander Task Force Baltic, created last year and based in Rostock, Germany, will be responsible for coordinating allied ships in the area, a statement issued by all eight Baltic Sea states and NATO’s Secretary General said.
NATO members bordering the sea are Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.
Aside from Sweden, where officials announced the country’s navy would provide up to three warships and its ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, other Baltic Sentry members have yet to articulate individual contributions.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the number of hulls in the water “might differ from week to week.” The involved nations do not wish to make “the enemy any wise than he or she is already,” he said during a press conference in Helsinki on Jan 14.
Rutte and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal praised the Finnish approach used for detaining and investigating the Eagle S oil tanker, suspected of ripping undersea cables last month, suggesting the tactic could serve as a model in prosecuting future sabotage incidents.
“[While] it is up to each member state, we as partners are looking up to the Finns – next time if we have a threat or sabotage attempt towards critical infrastructure, probably the Finnish attitude should be the benchmark,” Michal told reporters after being asked about the Nordic country’s assertive detainment procedures.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said a step-by-step report would be provided to allies about the methodology used on Dec. 25, when authorities took custody of the vessel.
The official detailed the six-step procedure, which involved close cooperation between the Finnish military, customs officials, police and coast guard.
“First the private company reports what has happened, after that the authorities suss out the possible ships in that position when the cable was cut. Once that happens, you identify the ship, you contact it, stop it, and ask it to move into your territorial waters so you can board it,” Stubb said.
He added that the damage “would have been far worse” than four cables cut if the Eagle S had continued its activities for another 12 minutes.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
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