NATO has expanded its Baltic Sentry mission with additional vigilance activities in response to recent drone incidents in Denmark, according to Allied Maritime Command.
FGS Hamburg (F220), a German air-defence frigate assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, arrived in Copenhagen on 28 September and will support the mission. Commander Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesperson for Allied Maritime Command, stated that “the presence of FGS Hamburg operating near Denmark for Baltic Sentry sends a message of assurance and cohesion within the Alliance.”
The expansion of Baltic Sentry includes the deployment of further intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms alongside naval assets such as air-defence frigates.
NATO has not disclosed which countries are providing these reinforcements. The new contributions build on an existing presence of frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and naval drones, which have been employed to safeguard critical infrastructure on the Baltic seabed, including pipelines, power cables, and telecommunications links.
Baltic Sentry was first launched in January following a series of incidents that damaged undersea infrastructure across the region. The operation has since become a central element of NATO’s efforts to deter hybrid threats and maintain security in Northern Europe’s maritime domain.
The expansion also comes as NATO strengthens other regional activities. Earlier this month, the Alliance initiated Eastern Sentry, a separate mission aimed at reinforcing Europe’s eastern flank following Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace. The incidents have contributed to heightened tensions in the Baltic and wider region, where NATO countries have warned of growing risks to security.
Allied officials have said that Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry are part of a broader strategy to deter aggression and reassure member states. Recent warnings have underlined that NATO is prepared to employ a full range of tools, military and otherwise, in response to threats along its borders.
German officials have also raised concerns about the increasing danger posed by drones, with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt describing the threat level as high and signalling further national measures to address it.
It is getting disturbingly hot with Russia, Putin just keeps ramping the rhetoric..unfortunately it’s the case with populists authoritarian leaders like Putin there is no off ramp for them, they have to keep on poring out the rhetoric.