Petty Officer 1st Class Kepono Gowan, a special operations independent duty Navy corpsman with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, launches an RQ-20 Puma aerial drone during Operation Baltic Sentry in southern Finland on Feb. 24, 2025. (Brian Bolin Jr./U.S. Marine Corps)
STUTTGART, Germany — A contingent of U.S. Marines has deployed to coastal Finland to assist a NATO operation aimed at tracking down potential saboteurs in the Baltic Sea.
About 40 Marines carrying small drones and other surveillance equipment are boosting observation efforts, the Stuttgart-based Marine Forces Europe and Africa said in a statement.
“The Marine Corps’ ability to be an expeditionary and agile force, with expertise in littoral environments, makes us a logical partner for this type of enhanced vigilance activity,” the Marines said Friday.
The 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion team, which deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., is operating alongside a Finnish brigade, the Corps said.
In January, NATO launched the Baltic Sentry mission, which was prompted by a series of suspected sabotage incidents that resulted in damage to undersea energy and communication cables.
The alliance-led effort incorporates naval surveillance drones, warships, submarines and aircraft to identify and track ships.
A so-called shadow fleet of Russian ships, made up of old oil tankers with opaque ownership to circumvent international sanctions, is suspected of causing at least some of the damage.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kepono Gowan, front, and Marine Corps Cpl. Blake Hanisak, both with 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, fly an RQ-20 Puma aerial drone during Operation Baltic Sentry in southern Finland on Feb. 21, 2025. (Brian Bolin Jr./U.S. Marine Corps)
Cables that have been sabotaged in recent months include lines connecting Estonia and Finland, Lithuania and Sweden, and Germany and Finland.
Undersea vulnerabilities have been a long-standing concern for the U.S. military and NATO. Submerged cables secure 95% of global internet traffic and enable an estimated $10 trillion worth of financial transactions daily, according to NATO.
Law enforcement investigations into the various Baltic Sea incidents are underway.
