On Monday, June 3, the series began defensive military operations of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Nordic Warden, aimed at strengthening the security of critical undersea infrastructure from the North Atlantic to the Baltic Sea. The exercises will last a month.
During the exercise, reconnaissance flights and maritime patrols, including in Estonian waters, will be carried out in cooperation between the air forces and naval forces of the JEF countries. Information exchange between countries will also be enhanced to ensure better maritime situational awareness of ships under JEF's responsibility.
Deputy Commander of the Estonian Navy, Navy Captain Johan-Elias Seljamaa, explained that the basis of maritime operations is the exchange of early warning data and situational awareness between maritime operational centers, ships and surveillance aircraft, as well as taking into account the number of underwater communications in the Baltic Sea, it is also very important to quickly mobilize resources in accordance with threat assessments.
Nordic Warden brings together the capabilities of all ten JEF countries to monitor ship traffic near critical undersea energy and communications routes, and coordinate the detection and suppression of unusual or suspicious activity in their vicinity.
Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) – it is a coalition created in 2014 and led by the UK, which includes Estonia, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. The coalition focuses on the security of the Baltic Sea region, the High North and the North Atlantic region, being ready, if necessary, to quickly respond to threats to regional security. If necessary, the joint force can be quickly integrated with NATO or other international security forces.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich