Synopsis
Undersea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines carry the vast amount of our Internet data, help us make trillions of dollars of financial transactions and transport 60 per cent of our oil and gas, so protecting such infrastructure is crucial to the well-being of our societies and to our security.
NATO has stepped up the protection of undersea infrastructure. For instance, it has increased the number of air and sea patrols in the Baltic Sea. NATO has also created an undersea infrastructure coordination cell designed to map risks and coordinate efforts between Allies, partner countries and national industries; and it has joined efforts with the European Union (EU) to improve the resilience of this critical infrastructure, through a NATO-EU dedicated task force.
Transcript
TRANSCRIPT (AUDIO AND TEXT ON SCREEN)
— VOICEOVER —
Deep beneath the ocean lies a critical network of undersea pipelines and cables, which are crucial to ensuring that our everyday lives continue as normal.
— VOICEOVER —
They carry the vast majority of our Internet data.
Trillions of dollars of transactions go through them every day.
And two thirds of the world’s oil and gas pass through undersea pipelines.
Any damage to undersea infrastructure could put our security, and our basic freedoms, at risk.
That’s why, for NATO, protecting these cables is crucial.
— SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) —
Jens Stoltenberg – NATO Secretary General
“This has been an issue which has been high on the NATO agenda and part of our efforts related to resilience for many years and many things have been done to protect this critical infrastructure.”
— VOICEOVER —
NATO has increased both air and sea patrols in regions like the Baltic Sea following recent damage to undersea pipelines and cables in the area.
And NATO is also mapping risks and coordinating efforts between NATO Allies, partner countries and national industries, including joining efforts with the European Union to improve the resilience of this critical infrastructure through a NATO-EU dedicated task force.
Protecting thousands of kilometres of cables at all times, though, is an impossible feat, which is why sharing intelligence is so important.
— SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) —
LTG Hans-Werner Wiermann – Head, NATO Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell
“We are a unique source of information which could help the stakeholders to get the information they need to secure the critical undersea infrastructure. “
— VOICEOVER —
Protecting undersea infrastructure means protecting our communication, our financial transactions and our energy and is key to ensuring the security and prosperity of our societies.
END
