NATO plans to deploy sea drones to monitor and protect undersea cables

Date:
Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:42:07 +0000

Description:
Plans to protect critical undersea cables are being drawn up by NATO.

FULL STORY

NATO has announced plans to protect critical undersea cables with drones,
also called unmanned surface vessels (USVs), following a host of recent disruptions .

With the threat of sabotage hanging over Western states, NATO is looking to increase its monitoring of critical infrastructure, specifically in the Mediterranean and Baltic seas. The fleet is set to launch in June 2025, and will likely take advantage of existing systems and technologies.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO has been bolstering defences to prepare for any interference on internet, GPS, or communications systems,
since any disruption to these could have devastating repercussions - and
theres no adequate back up plan .

Devastating consequences

NATO is confident it can deploy already existing technologies, such as that
of the US Navys Fifth Fleet which uses Task Force 59, the Navys first
dedicated unit for unmanned systems and Artificial Intelligence, currently operating in the Middle East.

The fiber optic cables handle roughly $10 trillion of daily financial transactions, and supply 95% of international data - so are, of course, enormously important to day-today life across the globe.

Russia employs primarily land-based internet connections, and so does not
rely on undersea cables in the same way most states do. This makes the cables significantly more vulnerable and an attractive target for an incredibly disruptive attack.

Earlier in 2024, NATOs Intelligence Chief David Cattler warned that Russia is actively mapping the critical infrastructure on the seabed.

When you look at the evidence of their activities now, the places they are doing surveys, overlaid with this critical undersea infrastructure you can
see that they are at least signaling that they have the intent and the capability to take action in this domain if they choose, Cattler confirmed.

Via Defense News

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/nato-plans-to-deploy-sea-drones-to-moni tor-and-protect-undersea-cables

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