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NATO officials on Tuesday will address the need to defend undersea infrastructure following recent incidents in the Baltic Sea region that led to damaged pipelines and communication cables.
The situation is dire. While many people believe most global communication occurs by satellites, more than 95% of international data and voice transfers are routed through the many fiber optic cables that crisscross the world’s seafloors, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We saw the incident last month in the Baltic Sea where a gas pipeline and internet cables were damaged, and that has reminded us of the vulnerability but also the importance of this type of infrastructure,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a Tuesday breakfast meeting on the subject.
While NATO has addressed protecting undersea infrastructure in the past, the alliance has increased patrols in the region following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We’re in the process of establishing a new center at our maritime command in the United Kingdom to better coordinate efforts of allies, to work with partners, to work with the European Union, but also to work with the private sector to better share information and to ramp up what to do to protect the critical undersea infrastructure,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
He said ensuring the safety of undersea communication cables and fuel pipelines is an area where NATO and the EU can work closely together.
“Critical infrastructure is important, and it’s an area where we once again see the relevance and importance of cooperation between NATO and the European Union,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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