UK to lead AI-run Operation Nordic Warden to monitor Russian undersea threats

Defense Secretary John Healey made the announcement during a session in the House of Commons on Monday, emphasizing the UK's commitment to countering "Russian aggression" beyond Ukraine.

The initiative comes in response to reports of damage to a critical power cable transmitting energy from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea, on Christmas Day.

Finnish authorities suspect the incident may be linked to a vessel associated with the Russian shadow fleet.

"Russian aggression is not simply confined to Ukraine, and we all saw what happened on Christmas Day. We are deeply concerned about the damage and sabotage to undersea cables.

"For the first time, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) has activated an advanced UK-led reaction system to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and to monitor the movements of the Russian shadow fleet," Healey said.

The Nordic Warden system, operated from the standing joint force headquarters in Northwood, will monitor vessels entering critical areas of interest in real time.

The system harnesses AI to assess data from a range of sources, including the Automatic Identification System (AIS) ships use to broadcast their position, to calculate the risk posed by each vessel entering areas of interest.

Any identified risks will be flagged, with immediate alerts sent to JEF members and NATO allies to ensure coordinated responses.

The Defense Ministry confirmed that specific vessels linked to the Russian shadow fleet have already been registered into the system. This proactive measure enables close surveillance of these vessels as they approach key strategic areas.