UK enhances undersea security in face of Russian activity

The United Kingdom is expanding its Atlantic Bastion programme, which aims to strengthen the protection of the country's underwater infrastructure amid growing threats from Russia.

Source: European Pravda, citing Sky News

Details: Top-ranking officer from the Royal Marines General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has released updated information about the Atlantic Bastion initiative in light of increased concern over recent Russian activity, including the presence of the spy ship Yantar which was spotted near UK waters.

The Atlantic Bastion programme, announced as part of the Strategic Defence Review, will combine autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence with naval vessels and drones to detect threats to underwater infrastructure and protect it.

The Ministry of Defence said the move is "in direct response to a resurgence in Russian submarine and underwater activity", including last month's incident involving the spy ship Yantar, which was detected in British waters.

This year, the project received a combined investment of £14 million (about US$18.3 million) from the Ministry of Defence and industry. The UK hopes that the technology could be deployed as early as next year.

A total of 26 companies from the UK and Europe have submitted proposals for the project.

Defence Secretary John Healey visited the naval base in Portsmouth to examine some of the early technologies that may be used under Atlantic Bastion.

These include Rattler, a remotely operated unmanned surface vessel, Excalibur, an experimental unmanned underwater vehicle, and SG-1 Fathom, an underwater glider.

Quote from UK Defence Secretary John Healey: "People should be in no doubt of the new threats facing the UK and our allies under the sea, where adversaries are targeting infrastructure that is so critical to our way of life."

Details: A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said that Atlantic Bastion will combine ships, submarines, aircraft and drones using AI-enabled acoustic detection technology, connecting them into a digital targeting network.

Background:

• In November, the Russian spy ship Yantar was spotted off the British coast, prompting London to warn that the UK was prepared to respond militarily if its activities posed a threat. Moscow responded dismissively.
• On 4 December, it emerged that the UK and Norway are concluding a major defence cooperation agreement to protect underwater infrastructure, involving joint naval operations in the northern Atlantic.

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