AI to Warn of Dodgy Ships at Cables (TT)

The UK-led Joint European Force (JEF), of which Sweden is a member, is using AI to protect cables and monitor the Russian shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea.

The action now underway means that ongoing operations, under the auspices of NATO and the JEF, are backed up by a UK artificial intelligence tool. It collects data on ships from a range of sources, including a system that displays ships’ positions.

Tracking and monitoring

The UK government said in a press release that the aim is to protect key infrastructure in the English Channel, North Sea, Kattegat and Baltic Sea. The system will track and monitor potential threats and the Russian shadow fleet following reports of damage to a key submarine cable in the Baltic Sea.

If the system alerts on a vessel, due to its movements, the system will follow the vessel in real time and simultaneously send out an alert to JEF members and NATO allies.

– Nordic Warden will help us protect against deliberate sabotage but also against cases of extreme negligence, said UK Defence Secretary John Healey in a press release.

Strengthening security

In a press release from the Swedish government, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) said:

– Together with our allied neighbours, we are strengthening security in the neighbourhood and will continue to work for both strengthened deterrence and increased resilience to counter threats to our critical underwater infrastructure.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) includes Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as the UK and the Netherlands. The idea is that the countries will be able to quickly assemble a force if a crisis arises in northern Europe. Sweden has been a member of the JEF since 2017.

The countries exercise together, but only a few live operations have taken place. The last time the JEF countries patrolled the Baltic Sea to protect submarine cables was in 2023.