by John Mustin, President, Saildrone, and retired Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy
Flanked by NATO allies and partners, the Baltic Sea is one of the world's most strategically important waterways. It is a vital corridor for commerce, a flash point of great-power competition, and home to the undersea pipelines & cables that power Europe's energy and digital economies.
I served nearly three and a half decades in the U.S. Navy - including experiences planning BALTOPS as Deputy Commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet and later as Commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2 - during which I witnessed firsthand that a free and stable Baltic is essential to European security.
I also observed during military planning sessions that the region was exposed. Its narrow geography, proximity to adversaries, and dependence on critical infrastructure make it acutely vulnerable to disruption.
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