On January 12, the Swedish government announced that it would send three warships and an ASC 890 airborne early warning and control aircraft to the Baltic Sea to join NATO’s efforts to increase presence to prevent sabotage of submarine cables.
The Swedish Coast Guard also dispatched 4 ships to monitor and 7 more ships were on standby, according to AP.
Swedish frigate HMS Visby on a patrol mission
Sweden officially became a NATO member in March 2024, not long after neighboring Finland joined the bloc. The Swedish government said this is the first time the country has sent its armed forces to participate in NATO’s defense and deterrence mission as a member of the alliance.
The new mission comes after a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea raised concerns about sabotage activities. Specifically, underground cables and underground pipelines connecting Northern European, Baltic and Central European countries are continuously damaged, affecting trade, energy security and communications.
Since 2023, 10 cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged, affecting countries such as Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Germany and Lithuania. At least two incidents involved ships that were accused of intentionally dropping anchor and towing away to cut cables.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on January 12 at an annual security conference that his country was not in a state of war but also not at peace, according to the newspaper. The Guardian. Mr. Kristersson did not rule out the possibility of intentional hostile action related to recent submarine cable breaks in the Baltic Sea.
“Sweden does not rush to conclusions or accuse anyone of sabotage without a very solid reason. But we are not naive either. The security situation and the truth are strange things that keep repeating over and over again.” in the Baltic Sea makes us believe that hostile intentions cannot be ruled out,” Prime Minister Kristersson said.
