Sweden has announced it will contribute up to three warships to NATO’s efforts to strengthen the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea. This decision comes amid increasing concerns about the security of underwater infrastructure in the region,

Sweden's government says the country will contribute up to three warships to a NATO effort to increase the alliance’s presence in the Baltic Sea as it tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure.

Stockholm reveals it will contribute up to 3 warships, ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, coast guard resources to bolster NATO’s presence - Anadolu Ajansı

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says the alliance is launching a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea region

NATO announced on Tuesday that it will beef up its patrol of the Baltic Sea in the light of past infrastructure damage to cables on the sea floor.

The operation, dubbed "Baltic Sentry," will dispatch national contributions as well as joint assets to the strategically located body of water.

Baltic Sea NATO member countries plan to discuss security in the region at a summit in Helsinki on Tuesday that comes in the wake of a number of recent acts of suspected sabotage at sea. The main purpose of the summit is to find ways to better protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea and to counter the threat posed by the so-called Russian shadow fleet.

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea met in Helsinki on Tuesday, looking to boost security following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, widely blamed on Russia.

The Swedish military will also contribute one of its ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, made by Saab, and the country's coast guard will deploy four ships.