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Defending Undersea Cables Amid Sabotage Threats

Defending Undersea Cables Amid Sabotage Threats
Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz (2nd L) talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R), along with his office manager, Jeanette Schwamberger (L), and his adviser on foreign and security policy, Jens Plötner (3rd L), during the Baltic Sea NATO Allies Summit in Helsinki on Jan. 14, 2025. Steffen Kugler/Bundesregierung via Getty Images
June Teufel Dreyer
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Commentary

Responding to the latest spate of cutting undersea cables believed to be linked to Russian and Chinese sabotage, NATO on Jan. 14 met with the Baltic states and announced a new mission called Baltic Sentry. Frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and a fleet of naval drones are to provide enhanced surveillance and deterrence. However worthy the initiative, catching the offenders will not be easy.

June Teufel Dreyer
June Teufel Dreyer
Author
June Teufel Dreyer is a professor of politics at the University of Miami, a senior fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a faculty adviser to the Rumsfeld Foundation, and a former commissioner of the congressionally-mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Her books include studies on China’s ethnic minorities, Sino-Japanese relations, a comprehensive treatment of Chinese government now in its 10th edition, and an edited volume on Taiwan politics.