NATO to Open Centre Focusing on Undersea Cable Sabotage Threat
During a recent IT2EC panel discussion, Universal Defence and Security Solutions Director Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Duncan Potts CB shared insights on NATO’s plans to establish a centre of excellence aimed at deterring, defending against, and ultimately preventing sabotage of undersea cables and pipelines.
A recent surge in incidents across the Baltic region, along with concerning technological developments from China, have prompted the alliance to take action to protect this critical international infrastructure.
“Disrupting [infrastructures] is as old as warfare itself,” Vice Admiral Potts noted during the panel. “In the Middle Ages, it would be trying to contaminate the water supply whilst you’re besieging a castle.”
An Urgent Need to Protect Undersea Cabling
In tandem with initiatives like its Mainsail project, NATO is now accelerating efforts to address the growing threat of sabotage to undersea pipelines and cables. According to senior alliance leaders on March 26th, a new centre of excellence will serve as a hub to deter, safeguard, and neutralise these threats.
In September 2022, the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea marked a turning point. These pipelines, which transport natural gas from Russia to Germany, were destroyed in a deliberate attack.
A series of follow-up incidents targeted regional undersea infrastructure. In one standout case, two telecom cables - linking Lithuania to Sweden and Finland to Germany - were severed by a Chinese trawler allegedly dragging its anchor across the seabed.
While such anchor-related mishaps are not uncommon, regional leaders accused the vessel of intentional sabotage. Vice Admiral Potts characterised these actions as “simply another form of gray zone warfare”: covert tactics that fall just short of open conflict.
The Importance of NATO’s New Anti-Sabotage Centre
Italy has been floated as a potential host for the new anti-sabotage centre, according to Italian Navy Rear Adm. Placido Torresi. Torresi, deputy chief of staff of NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation’s Multi-Domain Force Development Directorate, made the remarks during the recent IT2EC panel discussion.
Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post reported the development of a proprietary tool by the China Ship Scientific Research centre - capable of slicing through reinforced undersea cables at depths of nearly 13,000 feet. This is almost double the depth at which most underwater infrastructure is typically deployed. The device was first revealed in the Chinese-language journal Mechanical Engineer.
In response, Torresi confirmed that NATO has also dispatched a task force to the Baltic to assess the growing threat.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. James Kriesel, director at U.S. European Command, reinforced the urgency of the issue: “There is a dedicated group of countries that are using their… sea assets to try to figure out what’s happening here over time, as you probably see it in the press.”
Kriesel cited Norway, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia as key contributors to the effort.
What next?
By establishing its new anti-sabotage centre, NATO is taking proactive steps to safeguard undersea infrastructure. Through strengthened collaboration among member states and the adoption of advanced surveillance technologies, the alliance aims to deter and respond swiftly to emerging threats.
These initiatives are expected to enhance the resilience of vital global communication and energy networks - ensuring the seabed remains secure in an increasingly contested domain.
