A platoon-sized unit from the U.S. Marine Corps will participate in Baltic Sentry, a NATO-led surveillance operation in the Baltic Sea, Finland’s Minister of Defence, Antti Häkkänen said in a statement.

Häkkänen said the U.S. Marine Corps unit will collaborate with the Finnish Navy in monitoring key undersea infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland by identifying and tracking vessel movements.

“Having the U.S. Marine Corps unit in Finland and as part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry will strengthen the security of Finland and the Baltic Sea region. This cooperation is a continuation of our active international exercises with our Allies,” Häkkänen said. 

The deployment comes amid heightened vigilance in the Baltic Sea region, following a series of disruptions to undersea infrastructure involving Russia-linked vessels. 

The Baltic Sentry mission, launched by NATO in January to protect vital undersea assets in the Baltic Sea, involves the deployment of frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and naval drones. 

France and Poland have joined NATO’s operation BALTIC SENTRY, a large NATO deployment into the Gulf of Finland to protect undersea cables and other infrastructure from Russian sabotage.

Seen here, footage from a French Navy Br.1150 Atlantic II patrolling the Baltic. pic.twitter.com/vVGszOpdWC

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 19, 2025

NATO leaders earlier highlighted the crucial need to protect the region’s critical infrastructure, noting that undersea cables handle more than 95% of internet traffic and support an estimated $10 trillion in daily financial transactions.

The crew of 🇩🇪FGS Datteln conduct a demonstration with their Seafox drone in the Baltic Sea on January 12th to showcase #SNMCMG1‘s at-sea capabilities. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/xy2yFRz8eL

— NATO Maritime Command (@NATO_MARCOM) January 13, 2025