Underwater infrastructure vulnerable to Russian threats, says Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre, after suspected sabotage of gas pipeline
A Nato commander has warned that Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure such as windfarms, pipelines, and power cables endanger the security of nearly 1 billion people in Europe and North America.
Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), stated that the network of underwater cables and pipes that underpin Europe’s power and communications was not designed to withstand Moscow’s and other Nato adversaries’ “hybrid warfare.”
“We know that the Russians have developed a lot of hybrid warfare under the sea to disrupt the European economy, including cables, internet cables, and pipelines. “Our entire undersea economy is under threat,” he said.
And, to be clear, we know what the Russians have developed in terms of nuclear submarines capable of operating under the sea. Thus, the nations that makeup NATO are not naive and are cooperating.
The remarks follow two alleged instances of gas pipeline sabotage in the Baltic during the past 18 months: the first occurred on Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September 2022, and the second occurred on the Baltic Connector in October of the same year.
Both cases are still unresolved despite thorough investigations by several states; however, Finland stated in December that “everything indicated” a Chinese ship had intentionally damaged the Baltic Connector with its anchor.
The environment has changed significantly since most of the current infrastructure was initially created by the private sector, according to Maleterre, a submariner who claimed to have spent “more than 1,000 days under the sea.” This makes it extremely vulnerable.
“They [the businesses in charge of them] had no idea that this kind of hybrid warfare would emerge so quickly. Over 90% of the internet is submerged beneath the ocean. There are many weaknesses because all of our connections between the US, Canada, and Europe are submerged in water.
Despite offshore wind power’s growing importance in achieving climate goals, he said there are still “system vulnerabilities” in the infrastructure.
Industry group WindEurope estimates that in order for offshore wind to reach EU wind energy capacity targets by 2050, it will need to grow by 25%. Meanwhile, the Biden administration plans to install 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind along US coasts by 2030.
