The current dependence on the Internet for everything, absolutely everything, has become a problem for all countries, especially if, due to natural accidents or deliberately, underwater Internet cables stop working.
At the end of November, according to NATO, a ship of Russian origin cut off a submarine cable of northern Europe, affecting communications in the Baltics. This is not the first time that a similar act has occurred, but it seems to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
It appears that NATO is not willing to see these types of deliberate events repeated in the future and is considering creating a fleet of surveillance drones that will be tasked with monitoring the main undersea cables that surround Europe , especially those located in the Mediterranean Sea. and the Baltic Sea.
According to French admiral Pierre Vandier, using underwater drones to monitor underwater internet cables is a lot like having a television camera circuit which help monitor activity in hotspots, but using surface ships and submarines unmanneda technology which is really not new since it has been used in other regions of the world, notably in the Middle East.
The US Navy based in the Middle East has been using surface ships and unmanned aircraft (USV) since 2021 through its own unit called Task Force 59. All data obtained during the exploration of these craft is analyzed by a Artificial intelligence.
Various NATO officials say the method used by the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is also perfect for monitoring the underwater internet cables that surround the old continent.
For now, at the earliest, this same unmanned ship system will be implemented in June 2025, when the next NATO summit will be held. It will obviously not be the same type of ship, since the one currently used by the United States' Mariana operates on the surface and the one that Europe wishes to use operates underwater.
If Donald Trump keeps the promise he made during the US elections, it is likely that before its implementation, this system will cease to be a problem.
Protecting submarine cables found under the sea, is a mammoth task that cannot be accomplished even with an incredible fleet of drones. The only thing they can do is find out who is behind the attack, not stop it unless there is a rapid action program capable of reaching the affected area before the process is finished.
