- UK launches Atlantic Bastion program to protect submarine cables and pipelines from Russian threats
- Initiative combines autonomous vessels, advanced sensors and fleet assets with deployments expected in 2026
- Recent episodes of cable and power line sabotage in the Baltic Sea underscore the urgency amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict
The British government has begun work on Atlantic Bastion, a new military program aimed at strengthening the security of its undersea critical infrastructure.
In a press release published on the UK.gov website earlier this week, it was said that Atlantic Bastion’s aim was to secure these assets from Russian undersea threats.
Russian submarine and underwater activity has reportedly increased in recent years, and the country has been working hard to modernize its fleet “to target critical undersea cables and pipelines”. Europe’s eastern neighbor has reportedly been seen mapping key underwater critical infrastructure sites, with the UK government citing the Russian spy ship Yantar recently spotted “around UK waters”.
Next phase soon
This year alone, Britain will have invested “millions of pounds” in developing and testing innovative anti-submarine sensor technology.
Atlantic Bastion will be a combination of autonomous surface and underwater vessels, cutting-edge digital infrastructure, and warships and patrol aircraft. This will enable the UK navy to act against its adversaries “with unprecedented effectiveness across vast areas of sea”.
The next phase of the action, which should start “in the coming weeks”, is to take the projects from concept to the front line. Some capacity is expected to be deployed in the water next year, with investment accelerating in the following year.
In recent months, several submarine internet cables (fiber optic) in the Baltic Sea region have been damaged or cut. Many observers believe that it is closely linked to the war between Russia and Ukraine. In November 2024, two major undersea data cables, including C-Lion1 (which connects Finland and Germany), were discovered damaged or severed, and around the same time, a fiber optic cable between Lithuania and Sweden (via the island of Gotland) was also cut.
In late December 2024, another incident hit a power cable between Finland and Estonia, and several associated telecommunications cables were reportedly also severed. A vessel believed to be linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” was seized by Finnish authorities in connection with that raid.
Via The register
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