Last week, NATO ministers of defense gathered in Brussels to advance work on deterrence and defense.
At a bilateral meeting on Thursday, Norway and Germany’s ministers of defense signed a joint statement on a proposal to further strengthen the alliance’s role in protecting critical underwater infrastructure.
In May, NATO launched the Maritime Centre for Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI). It is a networking and knowledge center dedicated to the security of undersea energy pipelines and cables that assists the Commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command.
What is now being proposed by Norway and Germany is the creation of regional CUI hubs for different maritime areas in NATO’s area of responsibility: the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. The idea is that these hubs can be provided by one or a group of allies.
“Norway is offering to implement a CUI Hub for the High North. Germany is willing and determined to take responsibility in the Baltic Sea,” states the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.
“The hubs would monitor underwater infrastructure and bring in regional expertise to improve situational awareness in the underwater domain. Personnel and capabilities of respective national authorities could be used to detect suspicious activities and deter potential adversaries,” the ministry elaborates.