NATO expands cooperation on securing undersea infrastructure

NATO has broadened its work on the protection of critical undersea infrastructure following a two day meeting of its Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network in Rome.

According to NATO, the gathering on 20–21 November brought together experts from Allied nations, NATO headquarters, industry representatives, the European Union and, for the first time, partner nations outside the Alliance.

The network was created in early 2024 to support information sharing and coordination on threats to undersea cables, pipelines and related assets, which NATO links to rising hybrid activity across Europe.

The Rome meeting examined approaches to securing undersea infrastructure in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, with participants discussing the deployment of sensing and surveillance technologies, including drones, to detect and respond to suspicious activity. Delegates also visited the Italian Navy’s Critical Undersea Infrastructure Surveillance Center, where civilian and military personnel monitor activity around key assets and coordinate responses.

Ambassador Jean Charles Ellermann Kingombe, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Cyber and Digital Transformation and Special Coordinator for Hybrid Threats, said in the organisation’s account of the event “A 360-degree approach to security is vital for the Alliance. The Mediterranean region could not be more critical.” He added “We are here to deepen our exchanges, and to widen the scope of our cooperation across civilian, military, public and private sectors.”

NATO tied the meeting to broader efforts launched after undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea was disrupted in December 2024. In response to that incident, the Alliance initiated Baltic Sentry, a multi domain activity intended to increase NATO presence in the region and improve the ability of member states to respond to destabilising acts.