CASSIS Fellow Dr Moritz Brake on the security landscape in the Baltic Sea region Dr Moritz Brake in an NDR interview about the changing security environment in the maritime domain

In the interview, Dr. Moritz Brake sheds light on Germany's dependence on maritime infrastructures in the North Sea and Baltic Sea region. He discusses how Russia is increasingly focusing its attention on Germany due to the rise in hybrid forms of warfare, threatening Germany's vital interests and critical infrastructure. At the latest since the attacks on the Nord Stream pipeline, a changed security situation has prevailed in the Baltic Sea region, with Russia attempting to challenge the international order and being prepared to break the rules. Numerous incidents, such as the cutting of gas pipelines by ships and GPS jamming, have turned the Baltic Sea from a “sea of peace” into a new source of conflict. Finally, Brake considers the need to build up and expand competencies and capabilities in maritime surveillance and argues for an improvement in Germany's maritime security architecture, also with regard to China's maritime policy.
Nevertheless, Brake describes one hundred percent protection against attacks as “illusory” and calls for an improvement in situational awareness in order to deter potential attackers.