The navies of Britain, Finland, and Estonia joined forces with the Finnish Border Guard to practice subsea infrastructure protection in the Baltic Sea region. This comes after a gas pipeline linking Estonia and Finland, along with three telecommunications cables, were damaged in early October. The region is known for its dense seabed infrastructure. Finland and Estonia suspect that the incidents are linked and believe that a Hong Kong-flagged container carrier caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed. China has stated that it is willing to provide necessary information in accordance with international law.

The aim of the joint exercise is to develop capabilities for the surveillance and protection of undersea infrastructure as well as to repel subsea military threats. Commodore Janne Huusko of the Finnish Defence Command stated that many countries in the Baltic Sea region have increased their cooperation and maritime surveillance operations following the Balticconnector incident. The participating nations are members of the NATO military alliance and the exercise is being conducted under the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defense cooperation, which includes the Nordic and Baltic states, the Netherlands, and Britain.

Britain announced its commitment to send seven Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to participate in JEF patrols in the region in December. This move is part of Britain's plan to strengthen its military presence in Northern Europe, including deploying 20,000 troops to the area next year, in order to protect critical infrastructure amid growing concerns over Russian sabotage.

The Baltic Sea faced similar challenges last year when the Nord Stream gas pipelines from Russia to Germany were intentionally destroyed. While investigators have not yet identified a suspect, the incident highlights the importance of ensuring the security of vital infrastructure in the region. The joint exercise is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of these nations to monitor and protect undersea infrastructure. It also underscores the importance of regional cooperation in addressing security challenges in the Baltic Sea.