NATO announces a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region WSOC TV [Video]

BRUSSELS — (AP) — NATO is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region after a string of incidents that have heightened fears of Russian sabotage and spying in the strategic region, the alliance’s leader said on Tuesday.

Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that the mission dubbed Baltic Sentry would include frigates, maritime patrol aircraft and a fleet of naval drones to provide “enhanced surveillance and deterrence.”

“Across the alliance, we have seen elements of a campaign to destabilize our societies through cyberattacks, assassination attempts and sabotage, including possible sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte told reporters after a meeting in Helsinki with the leaders of Allied Baltic nations.

Announcing the new operation, Rutte noted that more than 95% of internet traffic is secured via undersea cables, and 1.3 million kilometers (808,000 miles) of cables guarantee an estimated $10 trillion worth of financial transactions every day.

Even …