NATO
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
2025
Belgian Navy Commander Erik Kockx leads a task force in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s new mission to police the inland sea that its members share with Russia
Dutch Navy ship HNLMS Luymes operates as part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission near Poland’s Gdynia harbor.
Baltic Sentry taps at least 10 ships under NATO command at any given time and splits them into two task groups. It also uses many more ships from the navies, coast guards and police forces of the eight alliance countries bordering the Baltic
“It’s quite difficult to prove that our presence helps. It’s hard to say that if we hadn’t been there, something would have occurred,” said Kockx as cargo ships floated by in the distance. But just as drivers become more attentive when they see a police car, “we’ve seen behavior get better,” he said of seamanship. “Ships know they’re being watched.”
“If you know what the norm is, you can more easily identify what’s not normal,” said Royal Norwegian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Dani Johannessen, commanding officer of the speedy mine hunter HNoMS Hinnoy.
NATO’s mix of AI and human vigilance aims to flag unusual behavior such as how ships navigate, the ports at which they call, and their reactions to radio calls from patrolling ships.
Dutch Navy ship HNLMS Luymes operates as part of NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission near Poland’s Gdynia harbor.
