About 40 U.S. Marines equipped with unmanned aerial vehicles have been deployed to Finland to participate in NATO’s Baltic Sentry operation to protect submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.

This was reported by The War Zone, citing the Finnish Ministry of Defense.

According to the publication, this is the first involvement of American troops. Although US Marines regularly train with Finnish troops, and P-8 reconnaissance aircraft have already participated in this operation.

The Marines will use RQ-20 Puma handheld reconnaissance drones to “provide additional maritime situational awareness.”

“The Pumas can operate from sea and land, but their use will be determined by the Finnish team and the Marine Corps team on the ground,” said Lt. Col. Zach Leithardt, US Marine Corps Europe.

According to the Finnish Ministry of Defense, U.S. Marine Corps drones will help create a commonly recognized maritime picture. They will monitor critical underwater infrastructure in the Gulf of Finland. They will also detect and track the movement of ships in cooperation with the Finnish Navy.

According to the publication, the marines have already arrived in Finland and the duration of their deployment has not yet been determined. For this mission, personnel from the Marine Corps rotational forces in Europe were involved. They were quickly and dynamically retrained to support Operation Baltic Sentinel.

“The Marine Corps’ ability to be an expeditionary and maneuverable force, with experience in the littoral environment, makes us a logical partner for this type of vigilance activity,” Leithardt said.

“This is a great opportunity for the two countries to work together with other Allies on an important issue for both America and Europe – protecting critical undersea infrastructure,” said Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell.

According to the publication, the deployment of Marines in this mission is in line with the new doctrine of deploying small units in coastal areas and small islands.

In mid-January 2025, NATO announced the launch of a new operation, Baltic Sentinel. It is intended to ensure the protection of maritime infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

The operation involved not only traditional warships and aircraft, but also new maritime drones.