Undersea infrastructure, including data cables, electricity connectors and pipelines, is vital for our societies. During exercise Freezing Winds, NATO Allies exercised off the coast of Finland to enhance the surveillance and protection of critical underwater infrastructure.
Synopsis
In the frigid cold waters off the coast of Finland, NATO Allies gathered for Freezing Winds 24 – an exercise in the protection of critical underwater infrastructure (CUI) such as gas and oil pipelines and internet cables.
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) trained in using uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) to survey the seabed and identify simulated threats to CUI. The exercise involved more than 4,000 personnel from 15 Allies and more than 30 naval vessels, including those from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). Exercise Freezing Winds ran from 20 until 29 November 2024. Participating nations included: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Footage includes shots of the Finnish Navy preparing for the deployment of dummy sea mines, the deployment of UUVs and soundbites from Commander Beata Krol, Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One, Commander Thomas Rasmussen, Standing NATO Maritime Group One and a Mine Warfare Officer from the Finnish Navy.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) VARIOUS SLOW MO SHOTS (NO SOUND) – FINNISH NAVY LOADING DUMMY SEA MINES ONTO SHIP AT UPINNIEMI NAVAL BASE, FINLAND AS PART OF EXERCISE SCENARIO
(01:01) CLOSE SHOT – DUMMY SEA MINE
(01:03) VARIOUS SHOTS – CREW SECURING MINES FOR SAILING
(01:49) VARIOUS SHOTS – CREW PUTTING ON HELMETS AND VESTS
(01:58) TIGHT SHOT – RACK FOCUS FROM MINE PIN TO FINNISH ARM PATCH
(02:02) SLOW MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – REFLECTION IN WINDOW OF SENTRY ON WATCH
(02:07) SLOW MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – MOUNTED WEAPON ON SHIP DECK
(02:10) VARIOUS SHOTS (NO SOUND) – SHIP CREW MEMBER ON DECK
(02:16) CLOSE SHOT (NO SOUND) – FREEZING WINDS PATCH
(02:18) VARIOUS SLOW MO SHOTS (NO SOUND) – CREW MEMBER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS
(02:27) VARIOUS SHOTS – MINE BAY DOOR OPENING, CREW PREPARING TO LAUNCH
(02:52) SLOW MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – MINE BAY ON SHIP, MINE CENTRE OF SHOT
(02:57) SLOW MO SHOT (NO SOUND) – LAUNCH BAY GREEN LIGHT ON
(02:59) VARIOUS SLOW MO SHOTS (NO SOUND) – CREW BEGIN MINE DEPLOYMENT DRILLS
(03:04) MEDIUM SHOT – CREW MEMBER WATCHING OCEAN
(03:08) CLOSE SHOT – CREW MEMBER NEXT TO DUMMY SEA MINE
(03:13) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS – MINE BAY DURING DEPLOYMENT PROCEDURE
(03:19) WIDE SHOT – CREW LIFTING RAMP TO END THE DRILL
(03:27) CLOSE SHOT - FREEZING WINDS PATCH ON A MAP
(03:31) VARIOUS SHOTS – DEPLOYMENT OF THE UUV “SEAFOX-I”
(04:03) VARIOUS SHOTS – CAGE LOWERED TO RECEIVE UUV AS IT RETURNS TO SHIP, AND LIFTED OUT OF WATER AND SECURED ONBOARD
(04:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – UUV DEEP TREKKER ON DECK OF SHIP, GETS LOWERED INTO THE SEA, CREW MEMBER USES HANDSET TO CONTROL IT
(04:41) VARIOUS SHOTS – THE UUV “DEEP TREKKER” IS LIFTED BACK ONTO THE SHIP
(05:08) CLOSE SHOTS - UUV “DEEP TREKKER” CLAW OPERATING
(05:14) VARIOUS SHOTS – DIVE BOAT BEING LOWERED INTO WATER
(05:26) MEDIUM SHOT – GERMAN ARMED FORCES (BUNDESWEHR) FLAG BLOWING IN THE WIND, CREW MEMBER BEHIND IT
(05:30) VARIOUS SHOTS – DIVE TEAM BOARDING BOAT, BOAT DEPARTING, BOAT PASSING SHIP BY
(05:52) WIDE SHOT – DIVER DIVING UNDERWATER WHILE DIVE TEAM ABOARD BOAT LOOK ON
(05:56) VARIOUS SHOTS - DIVE TEAM AND BOAT RETURNING TO SHIP
(06:14) VARIOUS SHOTS – SHIPS DOCKED AT PORT OF TURKU
(06:25) MEDIUM SHOT – LARGE NATO COMPASS ON BOARD SHIP
(06:31) MEDIUM SHOT – NORWEGIAN FLAG BLOWING IN THE WIND
(06:35) VARIOUS SHOTS – COMMANDER RASMUSSEN STOOD ON BOARD NATO SNMG1 FLAGSHIP HNoMS MAUD (NOR) WITH BACK TO CAMERA
(06:41) WIDE SHOT – REFLECTION OF SNMG1 FLAGSHIP HNoMS MAUD (NOR) IN WATER
(06:47) CLOSE SHOT – WRITING ON DECK OF SHIP ‘2 BARREL’
(06:51) VARIOUS SHOTS – NATO SNMG1 FLAGSHIP HNoMS MAUD (NOR)
(06:54) WIDE SHOT – SHIP DOCKED AT PORT OF TURKU
(07:08) (ENGLISH) COMMANDER BEATA KROL, STANDING NATO MINE COUNTERMEASURES GROUP ONE
“Freezing Winds 2024 is a great example for nations working together. And as we show our presence in this region, we also show that we are able to protect our own infrastructure by deterrence. So this is crucial for us. And having the SNMCMG1, the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One, here is always good because we are the specialists having sensors and technology on board which enables us to investigate or help to investigate and also to maintain a secure maritime environment.”
(07:50) (ENGLISH) COMMANDER BEATA KROL, STANDING NATO MINE COUNTERMEASURES GROUP ONE
“Critical underwater infrastructure are basically cables, gas pipelines, telecommunication and electronical cables, as I said already but to make it clear, and it is very important because it connects people, it keeps the homes warm. And yeah, our own communication rely on it.”
(08:13) (ENGLISH) COMMANDER THOMAS RASMUSSEN, STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP ONE
“It's important for NATO because many NATO nations are surrounding the Baltic Sea. We have, of course, the three Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And they are very dependent on the Baltic Sea routes for their prosperity. And also, of course, during war times our equipment to the defence of the three Baltic States must go through the Baltic Sea so that's why it is so important. And also, for example, a country like Finland, 95 percent of the goods going to or from Finland are being transported by the sea routes in the Baltic Sea, so very important.”
(08:59) (ENGLISH) ANON, MINE WARFARE OFFICER, FINNISH NAVY
“The naval mines are one of the main weapons systems for the Finnish Navy. And also at the same time, they are one of the key weapons systems for the Finnish Defence Forces overall. The naval mines are used against both surface and subsurface targets and naval mines should be used massively. And I guess there are three goals for naval mining. The first one is the prevention of attacks. The second one is to protect our sea lines of communications and also at the same time, our territorial integrity. And the third one is that we can deny the use of some of the fairways and at the same time, we can keep some of the fairways clear for our own units.”
ENDS
