How will NATO’s Baltic Sentry work to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea?
The Baltic Sea is a large area, packed with undersea cables. (Photo: US Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Elexia Morelos)
The rise in incidents of damage to subsea cabling in the Baltic Seahas driven NATO to commit to bolstering the action of local navies. But how effective can it be?
In the wake of serious undersea cable damage throughout 2024, particularly towards the end of the year, NATO has developed a response named Baltic Sentry.
Announced on 14 January 2025 at a summit in Helsinki, Baltic Sentry has combined warships, drones, patrol aircraft and advanced surveillance systems, such as the UK-led Nordic Warden system, both to act as a deterrent to potential threats from adversary craft, and to potentially challenge saboteur vessels before or during their detrimental actions.
But can such a surface approach genuinely work to deliver safety to Baltic Sea underwater infrastructure? And if it can, how can
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![HHI poised to start submarine production in Peru pending election outcome]()
HHI poised to start submarine production in Peru pending election outcome
South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries confirmed to Shephard that the company is awaiting the Peruvian government’s decision to allow it to move forward with the production of the HDS-1500 submarine.
-
![US Navy to accelerate the replenishment of SM-6 stocks as demand continues to surge]()
US Navy to accelerate the replenishment of SM-6 stocks as demand continues to surge
The Naval Sea Systems Command exercised a US$335 million modification to a contract with RTX Raytheon to support increasing the production of Standard Missiles 6 by 2030. Shephard spoke with the company president about how the company has scaled to meet demand.
-
![How the Hormuz mine threat exposes potential Baltic MCM shortfalls]()
How the Hormuz mine threat exposes potential Baltic MCM shortfalls
Ageing Baltic vessels and an absence of active minehunting vessel programmes in the region have been put under the spotlight in the recent conflict.
