AI boosts undersea cable security in Baltic against Russian threat
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which includes forces from 10 Northern European countries, has enhanced the protection of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and the monitoring of the Russian "shadow fleet," among others, by using artificial intelligence, announced the governments of the United Kingdom and Sweden.
The British AI-based tool gathers data from several sources about suspicious ships and their positions in real time over large maritime areas. It estimates the risk of an incident occurring.
Intelligent weaponry
"The Nordic Warden system helps protect us from sabotage and cases of extreme negligence," emphasized John Healey, the UK's defense minister, in a statement from the country leading the JEF.
Ship monitoring is conducted from the JEF headquarters in Northwood (near London), from where, in case of a threat, a warning will be sent to JEF patrols and NATO countries. The use of artificial intelligence for this purpose was tested for the first time in the summer of 2024.
The Swedish government reminded in a statement that the countries involved in the JEF (Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) decided to strengthen Baltic monitoring for the second time in history. The first joint patrols, consisting of 20 warships, were sent out in the fall of 2023; it was then emphasized that this was a "clear signal to deter Russia."
Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson noted that "the activities of the JEF complement NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea." He stressed that "it means further strengthening of monitoring and protection of critical infrastructure."
