NATO wants to use drone boats for maritime security in the Baltic Sea

NATO’s naval forces could soon deploy unmanned systems for surveillance purposes in the Baltic Sea, where member states have serious concerns about the security of underwater infrastructure.

Admiral Pierre Vandier (Marine Nationale), former chief of staff of the French Navy, leads naval transformation for NATO. He recently told Defense News that unmanned systems could provide a “CCTV” surveillance network for maritime security hotspots, similar to security systems used by police forces for land-based law enforcement.

This concept was inspired by the U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, which uses unmanned platforms to keep tabs on Iranian movements in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Systems such as the unarmed surveillance platform Saildrone and the armed T-38 Devil Ray unmanned surface ship have given Task Force 59 a meaningful demonstration capability in the calm waters of the Middle East. These demonstrations have influenced the Navy’s planning for a large-scale unmanned operation, now beginning in 5th Fleet with a manned and unmanned team “task group” trained by Task Force 59. The US Indo-Pacific Command has high hopes for unmanned systems in the Taiwan Strait, and the Pentagon is supporting the rollout with its highly publicized Project Replicator.

Monitoring of the marine area in the Baltic Sea is urgently needed. Twice in the last two years, Chinese ships have destroyed submarine cables and other infrastructure in the Baltic Sea by simply dragging anchor under power and plowing the seabed for dozens (or even hundreds) of miles. In 2022, unknown perpetrators destroyed three of the four pipes of the Nord Stream gas pipeline complex with explosives, and several investigations suggest that the attack was carried out by a small diving team using a recreational sailboat as a platform.

Detecting these types of threats requires detailed on-site monitoring, starting with surface activity. “The technology exists to make these street lights with USVs,” Admiral Vandier told Navy Times. He said the idea has significant support from NATO’s Naval Forces Command and draws on proven Task Force 59 platforms. d