Finland, Sweden, and EU Work Together to Improve Baltic Security
Commanders from the Finnish and Swedish navies met on Thursday, September 17, reaching key agreements about efforts to enhance security measures in the Baltic. It came as the Finnish Border Guard completed a three-day Marsec exercise co-funded by the European Union as part of the EU Maritime Security Strategy.
The commander of the Finnish Navy, Tuomas Tiilikanen, described to reporters the scope of the agreements reached with his Swedish counterparts, reports the Finnish news outlet Yle. The two countries agreed to a series of steps and sharing of resources.
Among the immediate efforts, Sweden will deploy one of its Visby-class maritime corvettes into the Gulf of Finland, and it will operate under the command of the Finnish Defence Forces. The commanders said that would permit Finland to concentrate its navy in the eastern Gulf of Finland, where they perceive the greatest threat, including from drones.
They are also exploring jointly procuring unmanned surveillance vessels that would be used for monitoring, intelligence, and inspections. Yle reports Tiilikanen said Finland and Sweden would temporarily share resources so that both nations could benefit from the vessels, which he described as surface drones that look like a sailboat. He said the first patrols could start before the end of the year.
The forces practiced the boarding and seizure of a vessel suspected of dragging its anchor using the icebreaker Polaris as the target (Finnish Border Guard)
Thursday was the third and final day of the Marsec EU26 exercise. It was the third such exercise but the first staged in the Baltic. The Finnish Border Guard was leading key parts of the program, which involved the Helsinki Police Department, Finnish defense forces, and the Coast Guard. There were also international observers, participation from the Polish Border Guard that included a vessel from Poland, and the French Navy joining in the preparatory training.
One focus was on interoperability among the services. There was an exchange of information, coordination of command centers and targeting exercises, as well as presentations. The Marsec exercise included a focus on managing demanding maritime situations, responding to incidents, and targeting and monitoring.
As part of the live training, on Thursday the forces practiced the detection, boarding, and seizure of a vessel dragging its anchor. It was part of the EU Cable Action Plan designed to improve the security of critical underwater infrastructure. The Finnish Border Guard coordinates the ISM (Integrated Surveillance Mechanism) project in the Baltic Sea region, which is based on the EU action plan for cable security.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
The icebreaker Polaris served as the target vessel. Border guard boats and helicopters were used for the boarding and seizure of the vessel.
Finnish authorities said they would continue to work to enhance cooperation with the EU, including the European Maritime Safety Agency. It said the goal is to enhance coordination and cooperation and that they would continue to work with the EU coastal states in the Baltic to jointly develop technical and operational capabilities.
