**MILAN —** Following a series of sabotage incidents targeting underwater infrastructure, NATO has launched a maritime patrol mission in the Baltic Sea. This operation aims to include frigates, naval drones, submarines, and surveillance aircraft to demonstrate a show of force against a fleet of vessels suspected of carrying out activities aligned with Moscow’s interests.
The initiative, named “Baltic Sentry,” will deploy both national contributions and joint assets to the strategically important Baltic Sea. The operation will be coordinated by NATO’s Commander Task Force Baltic, which was established last year and is based in Rostock, Germany. All eight Baltic Sea states, alongside NATO’s Secretary General, have issued a statement regarding this mission.
NATO members sharing borders with the Baltic Sea include Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. Notably, Sweden has announced that its navy will provide up to three warships and its ASC 890 surveillance aircraft for this operation. However, other member states involved in Baltic Sentry have yet to specify their individual contributions.
During a press conference on January 14 in Helsinki, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte noted that the number of vessels deployed could vary from week to week. He emphasized that the involved nations prefer to keep their adversary less informed about their operational capabilities.
In their discussions, Rutte and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal praised Finland’s responsive measures in detaining and investigating the oil tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of damaging undersea cables last month. They suggested that Finland’s approach could serve as a model for addressing future sabotage incidents.
Prime Minister Michal remarked, “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.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated that allies would receive a detailed report about the methodology used on December 25 when authorities took custody of the Eagle S. He outlined a six-step procedure that involved collaboration between the Finnish military, customs officials, police, and the coast guard.
The six steps include:
1. Notification from a private company about the incident.
2. Assessment by authorities to identify possible vessels in the vicinity when the cable was cut.
3. Identification of the ship involved.
4. Engagement with the ship to stop it.
5. Requesting the ship to enter Finnish territorial waters for inspection.
6. Boarding the vessel for investigation.
President Stubb emphasized the potential extent of damage that could have occurred, noting the situation could have escalated if the Eagle S had continued its operations for an additional 12 minutes, leading to more extensive damage than the four cables already affected.
**Author Bio:** Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News, focusing on military procurement, international security, and the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.