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NATO defence ministers and Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson have endorsed a Digital Ocean Vision initiative to enhance maritime situational awareness.
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The Digital Ocean initiative is expected to utilise satellites and autonomous systems below, on, and above the sea for maritime surveillance, enhance allied maritime domain awareness, and address maritime threats.
NATO defence ministers and the Swedish defence minister approved the initiative on 12 October after meeting at the NATO Vilnius Summit and agreeing to establish NATO’s Maritime Centre for the Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure within NATO’s Maritime Command in the United Kingdom.
Earlier this year, NATO created a Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell at NATO Headquarters in Brussels to improve information sharing and exchange of best practices between NATO allies, partners, and the private sector. Allies will also develop a roadmap to guide the future development of maritime capabilities across the alliance, such as NATO’s Digital Transformation and the Defence Production Action Plan.
Late last month, a formation of US Air Force F-16 fighter jets arrived in Romania to enhance NATO air policing over the Black Sea. Four US Air Force F-16 fighter jets arrived at Romanian Air Force 86th Air Base “Lieutenant Aviator Gheorghe Mociorniță” near the town of Fetesti in Romania on 22 September.
Acting NATO spokesperson Dylan White said NATO has reinforced its presence in the eastern part of the alliance including with new multinational battlegroups, more air and maritime presence, and regular surveillance flights since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine.
NATO has also recently deployed more than 130 additional troops from Romania to Kosovo to further reinforce NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission alongside 200 British soldiers deployed at the start of October.
The deployment comes after a violent attack on Kosovo Police on 24 September and increased tensions in the region. The deployments are designed to ensure KFOR has the forces it needs to fulfil its United Nations mandate to maintain a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo. They are based on a request by NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and were approved by allies in the North Atlantic Council.
NATO has been leading a peacekeeping operation in Kosovo since 1999 in accordance with its mandate under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. KFOR currently consists of well over 4,500 troops contributed by 27 NATO allies and partners.
