Germany to deploy naval forces to NATO Baltic Sea mission

BERLIN

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced Tuesday that Germany will deploy naval vessels to participate in a new NATO mission to protect critical underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, during the NATO Baltic summit, Scholz said Germany is ready to take responsibility and deploy its forces, in light of the growing threats posed by the so-called Russian shadow fleet.

“We will participate with everything we have in terms of naval capabilities. That will be determined according to the specific deployment options,” he said, adding that the concrete details of the deployment will be discussed within the NATO alliance.

NATO's “Baltic Sentry” mission was launched on Tuesday in response to multiple incidents of damaged underwater cables and pipelines suspected of Russian sabotage acts. The initiative will strengthen the alliance's Baltic Sea presence through the deployment of naval drones, frigates, and maritime patrol aircraft.