The ten members of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force will increase their military presence in the Baltic Sea. They want to protect submarine infrastructure.
In addition to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden participate in the military alliance. Defense ministers of the coalition countries decided on Tuesday to activate a defense clause – for the first time since the existence of the alliance – to deploy more resources in the Baltic Sea.
‘This includes naval and air capabilities, which will be deployed in JDF core areas as a military contribution to the protection of critical submarine infrastructure.‘This is according to a joint statement of ministers distributed by the British government. ‘This will happen in early December and will ensure a security presence, which will strengthen our joint efforts with NATO in the Baltic Sea region.‘
About two dozen warships will be deployed in the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, Swedish Defense Minister Pall Jonsson told public radio SVT. ‘We must be able to carry out this type of operation to defend our critical infrastructure, but also to send a signal to Russia.‘
Belga
