Russia is endangering the security of a billion people, a NATO commander warns. Privatization in particular has made the underwater infrastructure vulnerable.
London – The safety of a billion people from the USA and Europe is at risk: This warning came from a NATO senior commander, Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre. Because Russia could try to attack infrastructure under water. This involves internet cables, pipelines or wind farms. “We know that the Russians have developed numerous underwater hybrid warfare strategies to disrupt the European economy through cables, internet cables and pipelines. Our entire submerged economy is under threat,” Maleterre said in the British
Guardian.
Even if it is still not clear who was responsible for the attacks on the Nordstream pipelines - there were not only traces to Russia but also traces to Ukraine, as ARD had researched - one thing is certain: NATO is taking the threat under water by Russia seriously and is in the process of protecting itself against it: A maritime center for the security of critical underwater infrastructure should constantly produce situation reports on the situation under water. In addition, individual NATO member states have initiated military measures.
Vice Admiral: “We know what nuclear submarines the Russians have developed for use under water”
“To be clear: We know what nuclear submarines the Russians have developed for underwater use. So we are not naive and we work together,” says Maleterre, by which he means the NATO countries. A lot has changed because a lot of the infrastructure beneath the water surface is now being built by private companies. The private companies “did not know that such hybrid warfare would develop so quickly. More than 90% of the Internet is underwater. All of our connections between the US, Canada and Europe are transmitted underwater, so there are a lot of vulnerabilities.”
The fact that Russian ships travel along the routes of submarine cables and pipelines is “all the more threatening” because the effort required for targeted attacks is low, writes the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP). Cable harnesses and pipe walls could be damaged with just one anchor. Under international law, the right to free passage is not compatible with spying on critical infrastructure - but it is not yet clear which measures can be used preventatively. However, it is conceivable to suspend the passage rights for ships or to legally regulate security zones around critical infrastructure.
NATO commander sees opportunities in AI and sensors, but also in NATO expansion
“Many nations – including Norway, Sweden and Denmark – have developed drones, sensors and UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) to very quickly detect anything suspicious or something going wrong,” Maleterre said. A center dedicated to the topic is currently being set up in Northwood in Great Britain, at the headquarters of Marcom, the headquarters of NATO's maritime forces.
Using artificial intelligence software, Marcom can detect and track suspicious activity at sea, such as when ships turn off their automatic identification system (AIS), which is supposed to prevent tracking. They also use satellites and sensors underwater to identify suspicious activity. But it remains difficult: “If Russia uses very arbitrary capabilities - and I can't go into detail, but we are talking about submarines and nuclear submarines - that is very, very difficult; very difficult,” emphasized the vice admiral. The admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO is a great benefit for the security of the North and Baltic Seas.
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