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NATO bolsters Baltic Sea security to prevent damage to undersea cables

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday announced that the bloc will bolster security in the Baltic Sea to protect undersea infrastructure. File Photo Al Drago/UPI
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Tuesday announced that the bloc will bolster security in the Baltic Sea to protect undersea infrastructure. File Photo Al Drago/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- NATO announced on Tuesday that it will beef up its patrol of the Baltic Sea in the light of past infrastructure damage to cables on the sea floor.

The so-called Baltic Sentry program by the Allied Command Operations will be responsible for deterring future attempts by state and non-state actors to damage the undersea cable and other infrastructure in the sea.

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The latest damage came on Dec. 25 when an undersea cable connecting Estonia and Finland was severed. In November, a 135-mile Internet link between Lithuania and Sweden's Gotland Island was damaged along with another line connecting Finland and Germany.

Baltic Sentry will involve a range of assets, including frigates and maritime patrol craft, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after a meeting Tuesday with Baltic Sea allies.

"By working together with all allies, we will do what it takes to ensure the safety and security not only of our critical infrastructure but of all that we hold dear," Rutte said in a statement. "Ship captains must understand that potential threats to our infrastructure will have consequences, including possible boarding, impounding and arrests."

U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the Baltic Sentry should act as a deterrent to any future aggressions against NATO allies.

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"It is indicative of the alliance's ability to rapidly respond to such destabilization and shows the strength of our unity in the face of any challenge," Cavoli said in a statement.

NATO said the Baltic Sentry would enhance the patrols the alliance was already conducting in the Baltic Sea with warships, submarines, and aircraft and under surveillance technology to monitor the waters throughout the region.

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