Nordic Warden Tests AI-Enabled Tracking System for Undersea Cable Protection

BELFAST — The multinational Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has activated a new operation centered around a UK-led and artificial intelligence (AI) based reaction system capable of assessing threats to undersea cables and monitoring movements of Russia’s shadow fleet.

Dubbed Nordic Warden, the operation began last week, said the UK Ministry of Defence in a Monday statement and follows reports of a Russian oil tanker suspected of causing damage to the Estlink undersea cable in the Baltic Sea.

Key to the operation is an AI-developed computer program that can examine data from a “range of sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position, to calculate the risk posed by each vessel entering areas of interest,” according to the MoD.

“Specific vessels identified as being part of Russia’s shadow fleet have been registered into the system so they can be closely monitored when approaching key areas of interest.”

Should a suspicious vessel be identified, the system can use real time tracking and instantly send a warning to JEF members and other NATO allies.

London also explained that Nordic Warden demonstrates how JEF is employing “innovative technologies to boost European security, while supporting and complementing NATO’s own operations.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer added, “Growth and national security are vital to our Plan for Change, which is why this government is working closely with our allies to protect critical national infrastructure, such as undersea cables.”

In a statement coinciding with the UK announcement, JEF said that it is “concerned about the recent damage to the Estlink-2 power cable and several data undersea cables in the Baltic Sea on 25 December 2024.”

It condemned the incident as one which had caused “direct economic and security implications for Finland and Estonia.”

Finland has taken firm action in response to the alleged Russian sabotage, launching an investigation and seizing the Eagle S tanker. Last week, Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation said that it was “about to” wrap up seabed related activities related to the probe, according to a statement.

Prior to the latest incident, Ben Key, First Sea Lord of the UK Royal Navy, had admitted NATO nations were struggling to deal with attacks on undersea cables and connectors because of rights associated with territorial ownership and international maritime conventions.

In 2023, he singled out JEF as a potential aid to counter the problem, because it could provide “some agility in the sub threshold space.”

The 10 nation expeditionary body is made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden and the UK.

This article was published by Breaking Defense on 2 January 2025.