Ten Northern European countries intend to strengthen their military presence in the Baltics
Ten countries in northern Europe that are members of the Joint Rapid Reaction Force decided on Tuesday to activate a defense clause that stipulates the deployment of additional military assets to protect underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, where several incidents have recently occurred.
The defense ministers of the ten countries said in a statement issued following a meeting in Stockholm that the decision includes naval and air capabilities that will be deployed in the heart of the Joint Rapid Interaction Force area, which constitutes a military contribution to the protection of vital underwater infrastructure.
The statement explained, “This is the first time that a defensive clause has been activated by the Joint Rapid Intervention Force”.
According to the statement, the deployment of additional military assets will begin in early December.
The Joint Rapid Interaction Force is a 10-nation coalition led by the United Kingdom and includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
This alliance deals with operational defense issues in Northern Europe.
Commenting on the decision, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonsson told public television channel STV, “For a matter related to maritime surveillance, about twenty warships will be deployed in the Baltic Sea, but also in areas in the North Atlantic Ocean, to take into account the security situation and to ensure better protection of infrastructure”.
The Swedish Defense Minister stressed that the issue is related to confronting a very dangerous security situation in the world, especially in our neighborhood.
“We must be able to carry out this type of operation to defend our critical infrastructure, but also to send a signal to Russia,” he added.
The ten countries agreed in October to enhance security in the Baltic region after closing an underwater gas pipeline due to a leak resulting from external interference.
Finnish police eventually determined that the damage appeared to have been caused by an anchor that likely belonged to a Chinese merchant ship that had subsequently left the area.
More than a year ago, on September 26, 2022, a series of underwater explosions led to the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines transporting natural gas from Russia to Western Europe.
