Under the Surface – Part 1 | Shielding the Baltic Sea

Under the Surface – Part 1 | Shielding the Baltic Sea

In the vast expanse of Northern Europe
lies the Baltic Sea.
One of the largest bodies of water in
Europe connected to the Atlantic Ocean-
-through a series
of straits and channels.
Practically the size of a country,
the sea spans a whole 413,000 km2-
-sharing borders with nine nations –
and featuring an 8000 km2 coastline.
It is also one of
the world’s busiest seaways-
-with an average of 4000 vessels
sharing its space everyday.
Exploring the technology and tactics
employed to protect this region-
-from potential threats unveils the stakes
involved and the necessary measures-
-to safeguard the people and societies
in and around the Baltic Sea.
The threat landscape has
changed over the past 10 years-
-and over the past two years,
it has become much more serious.
Beneath the surface, there’s valuable
territory that needs protection.
The inhospitable depths of the Baltic Sea
may seem distant-
-from the fabric of our modern society,
yet they play a crucial role-
-as the home to what we might call
the lifeline of our civilization.
This vast underwater domain is intricately
connected to our everyday lives-
-prompting us to explore the immense
efforts required to safeguard it.
As we delve into the challenges,
a pressing question emerges:
How can our society effectively protect the
vital infrastructure and power sources-
-that depend on this unique ecosystem-
-ensuring resilience and deterrence
against threats and sabotage?
This is "Shielding the Baltic Sea –
Under The Surface" – Part 1.
Beneath the surface lies a hidden world
fraught with challenges-
-including treacherous terrain,
icy temperatures, and limited visibility.
The Baltic Sea, characterized as a brackish
and relatively shallow body of water-
-with an average depth
of approximately 55 meters-
-presents a unique set
of hydrographical complexities.
Navigating through narrow straits and
coping with an irregular seabed topography-
-poses a formidable challenge for
underwater surveillance and monitoring.
Detecting submarines, sabotage attempts,
underwater vehicles or mines-
-in such conditions
becomes exceedingly difficult.
This undertaking requires close
cooperation among multiple entities-
-including naval forces,
coast guards, and intelligence agencies-
-necessitating international collaboration
across international borders.
We’ve seen since the attacks on the Nord
Stream 2 pipelines in September of 2022-
-that there has been a focus on
energy security on the seabed.
We’ve seen that there are
actual and real problems involved-
-with the infrastructure
if and when it is sabotaged.
A government, a country, has to make
conscious decisions where to invest-
-and what areas of defense
are important.
The underwater domain has the issue
that it is invisible-
-certainly to most policy makers, and they
have to make decisions they will invest-
-into armies and air forces,
and sometimes their navies.
And within the navies they
have to make a decision as well-
-the surface
and the under sea capabilities-
-and that is a challenge
because money can only be spent once.
When you need capabilities underwater-
-you’re dealing
with an incredibly complex world.
To accomplish your various tasks,
you need a system-
-that delivers the right information at the
right time to a potential decision-maker.
These systems
need to operate underwater-
-with the desired effect
to counter potential threats.
Despite these inhospitable conditions, this
underwater realm houses a fragile lifeline-
-a critical artery of infrastructure
that supports the entire region-
-providing essential energy
and information-
-on which our societies
depend to function properly.
How do we protect our underwater
realm and our infrastructure-
-so vital to our society?
The threat landscape has changed
over the past 10 years-
-and over the past two years,
it has become much more serious.
There are many functions and processes
in society that could previously function-
-without the internet,
but today, we must have the internet.
Whether it’s for the processes themselves-
-or for monitoring and knowing
whether things are working or not-
-such as water, electricity supply,
or shipping goods.
There are many different cables
connecting Sweden, the Baltic States-
-Sweden, Finland,
and Sweden, Gotland.
With the increased threat level in society, all
operators have reviewed their connections-
-including submarine cables to others.
The countries most vulnerable
to cable sabotage at sea-
-are primarily those without
land connections to other countries-
-but also countries like the Baltic States
bordering Russia-
-where communication
might not be desired.
Currently it is mostly the navies
that are cooperating.
Both within the framework of NATO-
-as well as the framework of bi-lateral
and trilateral arrangements-
-as well as the European Union.
We have capable navies in the Baltic sea
region, such as Sweden, such as Germany-
-which have capable submarines, and
they are really cooperating very strongly-
-in the under
sea defense and the undersea domain.
Without firing a single shot,
someone with malicious intentions-
-could potentially
deliver a devastating blow-
-by targeting the critical infrastructure
submerged beneath the waves.
The repercussions of such an act
could be catastrophic-
-emphasizing the need for robust
protection and security measures-
-in this underwater domain.
In the fall of 2022, that vulnerability
was laid bare for the world to see-
-when the Nord Stream 2
was sabotaged.
It struck at the very heart
of this vital network-
-affecting millions of people on mainland
Europe and causing an international crisis.
For many, it acted as a stark reminder,
not only of the fragility of our world-
-but also of the challenges involved
in protecting our sub-surface infrastructure.
However, Nord Stream 2
is not the only lifeline at risk.
Power lines also traverse this space,
carrying electricity to millions of people.
Internet cables, too,
wind their way across the ocean floor-
-connecting us to the world.
In the realm of underwater protection-
-the task involves various entities
working together.
Collaboration across international borders
is essential for maintaining security-
-and monitoring the vast ocean floor.
You need to have a tactical and operational
advantage against a potential opponent.
Under the surface, it’s incredibly complex
to carry out your tasks.
We have the knowledge
to develop systems-
-but also to provide our customers
with the ability to upgrade their systems-
-to meet new threats over time.
No single nation
can safeguard the entire seabed alone.
Multilateral cooperation
with support from the private sector-
-and defense industry
becomes crucial.
Together, they can achieve far greater
coverage than would otherwise be possible.
An attack against
our underwater infrastructure-
-can pose a grave threat to
inhabitants of the region.
With new technological advancements
comes new threats-
-and it is imperative to be proactive,
prepared and ready-
-for all potential threats
lurking underneath the waves.
In the next episode, these threats, as well
as the vital defenses working to deter them-
-will be thoroughly examined as we find out
exactly what it takes-
-to survive on the ocean floor…

The infrastructure on the floor of the Baltic Sea has never played a more important role in our lives. At the same time, the risk it faces is growing rapidly thanks to geopolitical instability.

Patrik Fältström is Head of Security at Netnod, an independent internet infrastructure organisation. In these episodes of Shielding the Baltic Sea he explains, “Over the last 10 years, the threat situation has changed and the last two years in particular it’s become a lot more dangerous.”

Patrik Gardesten Deputy Chief of the Swedish Navy, says the Baltic Sea’s variable salinity, temperatures and bottom topography means advanced sonar equipment is needed to identify threats. “All these factors affect how sounds spreads out and the spread of sound is important for us when we search for submarines and search for mines,” he says. “This of course affects the materials and equipment we need to carry out our mission.”

Angelica Persson, Business Development Analyst at Saab, explains the undersea environment is complex and advanced systems are needed to manage threats. “You need systems that deliver the right information at the right time to a potential decision maker,” she says.

We would like to thank the Swedish Armed Forces, the Finnish Defence Forces and the Swedish Coast Guard for footage and support.