Poland to beef up Baltic Sea surveillance with drones purchase
Polish plans to increase Baltic Sea surveillance follows the presence of an alleged spyship on Wednesday
Poland plans to deploy drones to patrol the Baltic Sea following a surge in sabotage and spying incidents targeting critical infrastructure in the area, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday.
The Polish Navy will “immediately launch the order for drones”, Tusk said on Thursday, noting that drone surveillance would reduce the cost of monitoring the Baltic Sea.
“Let's not fool ourselves, there is no point in building any illusions and denying the facts. The Baltic Sea may become a place — like Poland's eastern border today — of permanent confrontation,” Tusk said, following a meeting of the Maritime Operations Center in Gdynia, Poland.
The power cable, belonging to Polish Power Grids, was not damaged in the incident and the vessel sailed to a Russian port following a patrol flight carried out by the Polish Armed Forces.
But Tusk described the presence of the vessel as a “real act of aggression, aimed at installations that are key to the country’s energy and strategic security”.
Tusk noted the importance of the Baltic Sentry initiative and noted that “further investments in protection systems” and “decisive operational measures”, of the kind performed on Tuesday, may well be more common in the future.
Joining Poland in bolstering its maritime surveillance capacity, the UK conducted the official naming ceremony for its anti-submarine warfare warship the HMS Glasgow on Thursday.
The warship is the first of eight new Type 26 frigates set to enter service and will provide critical protection for the UK’s nuclear deterrent and aircraft carriers.
“HMS Glasgow represents a step-change in anti-submarine warfare capability for the Royal Navy. As threats beneath the waves become more sophisticated, these warships will ensure we maintain our underwater advantage and protect our most critical strategic assets for decades to come,” Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell said on Thursday.
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