The UK has taken the lead in launching a cutting-edge reaction system, named Nordic Warden, to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor movements of the Russian “shadow fleet.”
On January 6, 2025, the UK officially announced the operation Nordic Warden. The British Defense Secretary, John Healey, made the announcement during a session in the House of Commons on Monday, emphasizing the UK’s commitment to countering “Russian aggression” beyond Ukraine.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a coalition of ten nations including the UK, Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, initiated this security operation. Early in January 2025, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) activated the operation to monitor threats to undersea infrastructure, particularly in response to reported damage to critical undersea cables such as Estlink2 in the Baltic Sea.
The key reason for launching the tool was the damage to the underwater Estlink-2 power line and several underwater communication cables in the Gulf of Finland on December 25, 2024. This activity will complement measures at the national level and within NATO.
Tankers classified as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” receive special attention.
We have added specific vessels considered part of the Russian’shadow fleet’ to the system, enabling close monitoring when they enter key areas of interest. The announcement states that the system will track potential risks in real-time and immediately issue a warning to JEF countries and NATO allies.
The operation tracks potential threats, particularly from the “Russian shadow fleet,” to safeguard critical underwater infrastructure. This involves:
- Monitoring vessels entering critical areas in real-time.
- Using AI to analyse data from various sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) that ships use to broadcast their position.
- Flagging risks and sending immediate alerts to JEF members and NATO allies.
The system is operated from the standing joint force headquarters in Northwood, UK, and is designed to enhance maritime security across Northern Europe, from the North Atlantic to the Baltic Sea.
This operation underscores the strategic importance of undersea infrastructure for economic and security reasons and highlights the geopolitical tensions, especially concerning maritime security and potential Russian sabotage or espionage activities.
