Northern European countries to increase their military presence in the Baltic

INA-  sources

Ten Northern European nations, members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), decided on Tuesday to activate a defence clause meant to provide additional military protection for undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea following a series of incidents.

"This includes maritime and air capabilities which will deploy across the JEF's core region as a military contribution to the protection of critical undersea infrastructure," the ministers said in a statement released after a meeting.

The reinforcement, due to begin in early December, marks the first time that a JEF Response Option is activated.
The JEF is led by the UK and includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. These nations collaborate on operational defence matters in Northern Europe.

The enhanced security will incorporate maritime surveillance, with some twenty warships deployed in the Baltic Sea and parts of the North Atlantic.
Speaking on public broadcaster SVT, Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson said the aim was to counteract a "very serious security situation worldwide, particularly in our neighbourhood."

"We need to conduct this type of operation not only to defend our vital infrastructure but also to send a message to Russia," Jonson added.
The JEF agreed to bolster Baltic security in October following the shutdown of a Finnish undersea gas pipeline due to an "external" intervention. Finnish police eventually linked the damage to the anchor of a departing Chinese merchant ship, located at the scene.

This incident fuelled speculation in the wake of the September 2022 explosions that disrupted Nord Stream's two undersea  pipelines transporting Russian gas to Western Europe, amid escalating tensions with Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.


source: Brussels Times