In an attempt to protect it underwater infrastructure, NATO has begun creating new seas drones with advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. The organization, in addition to Sweden, are currently undergoing underwater exercises off the coast of Portugal to test the new defense systems over the span of 12 days.
This comes almost exactly a year after two pipelines in the Baltic Sea were intentionally bombed and NATO was unable to formally assign responsibility for it.
REPMUS 23 will serve as an opportunity for personnel from both civilian and military backgrounds to come together and learn more about how technology can be integrated into operations while testing new products currently under development.
The purpose is not only to prevent future incidents but also create deterrence signals when necessary so that nations like Russia know they cannot get away with attacking critical operations without facing significant repercussions.
NATO is testing new sea drones that can use artificial intelligence to detect suspicious activity near underwater infrastructure. https://t.co/FNKyrLSje8
— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) October 2, 2023
Underwater infrastructure is used daily for nearly $10 trillion worth of financial transactions and 95% of global internet traffic, which makes it increasingly vulnerable to threats from Russia or any other nation. With tensions rising between NATO countries and Russia over Ukraine’s defense against its invasion, there has been an increase in Russian spy ships operating near NATO infrastructure that raises concerns about potential attacks on the Alliance’s assets.
To counter this threat, NATO has set up improved information sharing systems between members of the alliance and partners in the private sector as well as establishing a new maritime command center focused on defending underwater infrastructure in the United Kingdom.
One exercise that was conducted sought out to detect and deter an attack on underwater network cables by using a state-sponsored commercial vessel attempting to disrupt them. A fleet of aerial, surface and underwater drones were deployed once confirmation about the threat was received so they could escort the suspicious vessel away from the area.
After last year’s explosions in Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines sparked full scans of 6,000 miles worth of pipelines that cost operators a fortune, Wiermann said the speediest information exchange between actors is important if they want real-time detection of suspicious behavior so they can act quickly before any more damage is done.
