NATO plans to deploy a fleet of naval drones, says admiral
NATO plans to establish maritime surveillance in the Atlantic and Mediterranean by next June, according to Adm. Pierre Vandier in an interview with Defense News. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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The bloc aims to implement sea surveillance in the Atlantic and Mediterranean by next June, as reported by a senior official to Defense News.
NATO military leaders seek to deploy a fleet of unmanned surface vessels, followed by submersibles, to oversee the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, according to Tuesday's report from Defense News.
This initiative draws inspiration from a similar program in the Persian Gulf operated by the US, and it could potentially commence prior to the upcoming NATO Summit in the Netherlands in June 2025, as stated by French Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. He likened the concept to city surveillance systems, noting that "the technology is there" for such an implementation.
"In fact, it already exists, so somehow it’s not very risky. The US has enforced Task Force 59 in the Gulf for years, so everything is known and sold, so it is much more a matter of adoption than technology,” Vandier explained.
The admiral was referencing a project initiated by the US Navy’s 5th Fleet back in September 2021, which aims to monitor approximately 2.5 million square miles of water in the Middle East. Earlier this year, the US established a sub-unit of the task force based in Bahrain to facilitate the integration of manned and unmanned missions.
Vandier indicated that the NATO initiative enjoys the backing of the organization’s central maritime command and its operational headquarters. The outlet noted that its advancement has been influenced by a “pattern of undersea cable damage across European waters,” with some Western officials attributing these incidents to Russia, albeit without definitive evidence.
The most recent incident, reported this week, involved a link between Finland and Sweden, NATO’s newest member states. Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin suggested on Tuesday that sabotage might be implicated, while Finnish officials subsequently confirmed that at least one of the identified breaks was a result of construction activity.
Vandier received approval for his NATO position in June, and he previously held the role of Chief of Staff of the French Navy, in addition to commanding the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Meanwhile, the French military has been working to incorporate the robotic Airbus Helicopters VSR700 rotorcraft into operations from its warships, though local media reports indicate that the SDAM program has encountered delays and adjustments to its requirements.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
NATO military leaders seek to deploy a fleet of unmanned surface vessels, followed by submersibles, to oversee the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, according to Tuesday's report from Defense News.
This initiative draws inspiration from a similar program in the Persian Gulf operated by the US, and it could potentially commence prior to the upcoming NATO Summit in the Netherlands in June 2025, as stated by French Adm. Pierre Vandier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. He likened the concept to city surveillance systems, noting that "the technology is there" for such an implementation.
"In fact, it already exists, so somehow it’s not very risky. The US has enforced Task Force 59 in the Gulf for years, so everything is known and sold, so it is much more a matter of adoption than technology,” Vandier explained.
The admiral was referencing a project initiated by the US Navy’s 5th Fleet back in September 2021, which aims to monitor approximately 2.5 million square miles of water in the Middle East. Earlier this year, the US established a sub-unit of the task force based in Bahrain to facilitate the integration of manned and unmanned missions.
Vandier indicated that the NATO initiative enjoys the backing of the organization’s central maritime command and its operational headquarters. The outlet noted that its advancement has been influenced by a “pattern of undersea cable damage across European waters,” with some Western officials attributing these incidents to Russia, albeit without definitive evidence.
The most recent incident, reported this week, involved a link between Finland and Sweden, NATO’s newest member states. Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin suggested on Tuesday that sabotage might be implicated, while Finnish officials subsequently confirmed that at least one of the identified breaks was a result of construction activity.
Vandier received approval for his NATO position in June, and he previously held the role of Chief of Staff of the French Navy, in addition to commanding the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Meanwhile, the French military has been working to incorporate the robotic Airbus Helicopters VSR700 rotorcraft into operations from its warships, though local media reports indicate that the SDAM program has encountered delays and adjustments to its requirements.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
