Joint Expeditionary Force using AI to track Russian shadow fleet threats
The UK-led "rapid response" Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) said on Monday it is using AI to monitor threats to undersea infrastructure from the Russian shadow fleet.
Almost two weeks ago, on December 25, the Cook Islands-flagged Eagle S oil tanker is suspected of having used its anchor to damage the EstLink 2 undersea electricity cable connecting Estonia and Finland. Four communications cables were also broken.
JEF members Estonia and Finland alerted the other eight nations – the Nordics, Baltics, UK and Netherlands – on the same day.
A statement from the UK's Ministry of Defense issued on Monday (January 6) said JEF "activated an advanced UK-led reaction system" last week.
The ministry said it "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."
This includes vessels suspected of belonging to the shadow fleet which can be "closely monitored when approaching key areas of interest."
"If a potential risk is assessed, the system will monitor the suspicious vessel in real time and immediately send out a warning, which will be shared with JEF participant nations as well as NATO Allies," the statement said.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) called the move an "important step" to keep critical infrastructure safe: "This increases our ability to prevent hostile sabotage in the Baltic Sea in time."
In crises and wartime, the JEF's primary task is rapid response at sea, on land, and in the air in the Baltic Sea, Northern Europe, and in the High North, the Estonian government says.
In October 2023, after a ship destroyed the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, JEF sent military vessels and aircraft to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, Nordic Sea, and Danish Straits.
There was no mention of deploying additional vessels and aircraft in Monday's statement. Sweden has sent a ship to assist with the investigation.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey said the technology allows for monitoring with "a comparatively small number of resources, helping us stay secure at home and strong abroad."
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Editor: Helen Wright
