NATO recently organized a roundtable discussion at its headquarters to address the growing concerns about safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure. Industry leaders, along with civilian and military experts across NATO, came together to discuss the threats to offshore energy infrastructure and to share best practices on cooperation and coordination.
The roundtable meeting was opened by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who stressed the importance of protecting critical undersea infrastructure. He pointed out that the security and prosperity of societies depend on it, as undersea cables carry an estimated $10tn in transfers every day, two thirds of the world's oil and gas are either extracted at sea or transported by sea, and around 95% of global data flows are transmitted through undersea cables.
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The discussion focused on better understanding the threats to critical undersea infrastructure and on sharing best practices on cooperation and coordination. This is especially important in the wake of the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline last September, which prompted NATO allies to increase their military presence in the region.
To further strengthen its efforts, NATO has also established an undersea infrastructure coordination cell to map vulnerabilities and coordinate efforts between NATO allies, partners, and the private sector. Moreover, a new NATO-EU task force on resilience and critical infrastructure protection has been established.
“For NATO, protecting critical undersea infrastructure is essential to our security and defence because it is key to protecting the security and prosperity of our societies,” said the Secretary General. By collaborating with industry leaders and experts, NATO aims to safeguard offshore energy infrastructure and protect the security and prosperity of societies.
