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

December 9, 2024

(Image credit: Shuterstock / Christoph Burgstedt)

NATO is drawing up plans to monitor undersea cables
Unmanned drone technology is also being considered
The cables supply the vast majority of internet across the world

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 there’s no adequate back up plan.

Devastating consequences

NATO is confident it can deploy already existing technologies, such as that of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet which uses ‘Task Force 59’, the Navy’s 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, NATO’s 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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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.