NATO Launches Baltic Sentry Mission in Baltic Sea

January 15, 2025 5:12 PM
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NATO on Tuesday launched operation Baltic Sentry to deter further attempts to damage critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the operation on Tuesday in a joint press conference with Finland President Alexander Stubb and Estonia Prime Minister Kristen Michal at the Baltic Sea NATO Allies Summit held in Helsinki, Finland.

“Under the authority of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, General Chris Cavoli, this military activity is part of our ongoing effort to enhance maritime presence and monitoring of key areas for our alliance. It will involve a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol aircraft, among others, and will enhance our vigilance in the Baltic,” he said.

Rutte also stated that the countries agreed at the summit to launch an initiative to deploy new technologies as part of Baltic Sentry, including a small fleet of naval drones, to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence.

The summit was co-hosted by Finland and Estonia, and attended by the leaders of Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, along with Rutte and the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen. It held to address the recent increase in CUI incidents in the Baltic Sea. “We are deeply concerned by actions, be they negligent or malicious, which cause damage to or threaten the functioning of critical undersea infrastructure. We strongly condemn acts of sabotage to critical undersea infrastructure,” read a joint statement by the leaders attending the meeting.

The leaders stated that they welcomed the launch of Baltic Sentry to improve situational awareness and deter hostile activities as well as the efforts of allies to deploy additional assets at sea, in the air, on land and below the surface of the sea to enhance vigilance and deterrence.

Germany, which heads Commander Task Force Baltic (CTF Baltic), formally inaugurated the command on Oct. 21, 2024. Based at the German Navy Headquarters in Rostock, it coordinates regional naval activities with Germany’s allies and provides them with a current joint maritime situational picture around the clock, stated a German Armed Forces release. “CTF Baltic has two main tasks: to plan maritime exercises and operations and to lead naval forces assigned by NATO in peace, crisis and war,” stated the release.

The Baltic Sea NATO allies joint statement also condemned Russia. “Russia´s use of the so-called shadow fleet poses a particular threat to the maritime and environmental security in the Baltic Sea region and globally. This reprehensible practice also threatens the integrity of undersea infrastructure, increases risks connected to sea-dumped chemical munitions, and significantly supports funding of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.” The statement also said the countries were taking robust steps to address the threats posed by CUI attacks, use of shadow fleets and sanctions evasions. “We reserve our rights, in accordance with international law, to take action against any suspected vessels that circumvent sanctions and threaten our security, infrastructure and the environment,” warned the statement.

According to the statement, increased surveillance of shadow fleet vessels will be carried out, including the inspections of vessel insurance certificates, the introduction of tracking tools and the extension of sanctions targeting the shadow fleet. “Hostile or reckless actions against critical undersea infrastructure or other critical infrastructure are not limited to the Baltic Sea region. We will ensure coherence and coordination and intensify cooperation to strengthen security in the whole Alliance,” concluded the statement.

The United Kingdom is already leading a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO effort to track Russian shadow fleet vessels in Northern European waters, in real time reported USNI News on Jan. 7.

During Tuesday’s press conference NATO Secretary General Rutte declined to provide specifics on how many assets would be involved in Baltic Sentry, stating only that Baltic Sentry will encompass more ships, maritime aircraft patrols, submarines, satellites, and surveillance drones than the ongoing patrols on CUIs currently carried out, “ I’m not going into detail how many ships exactly because that might differ from one week to another and we don’t want to make the enemy any wiser than he or she is already. What matters is that we will employ the right military assets in the right places at the right time to deter future destabilizing acts. “, said the NATO leader.

In a Tuesday release on Baltic Sentry, NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) stated that ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) will participate in Baltic Sentry along with Allied maritime patrol craft operating under MARCOM and national support. SNMG1 currently only consists of its flagship, Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Tromp (F803) which took over the group on Jan. 9 with Tromp now sailing towards the Baltic where other NATO ships will join it as part of SNMG1, SNMCMG1 meanwhile currently consists of Royal Netherlands Navy hydrographic survey vessel HNLMS Luymes (A803) as the flagship with German Navy minehunter FGS Datteln (M1068) being the other ship in the group though like SNMG1, other NATO ships are expected to join the group soon.

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.

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