{
  "id": 15933938,
  "title": "Offshore wind farms can enhance maritime security, report says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/offshore-wind-farms-can-enhance-maritime-security-report-says-15933938",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-21T18:29:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2026/10/21/offshore-wind-turbines-surveillance/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Offshore wind farms can bolster maritime security, according to a recent analysis from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Despite the increasing prevalence of offshore wind infrastructure, the report highlights that insufficient efforts have been made to explore the potential benefits for national security. The CSIS asserts that by incorporating dual-use capabilities into the initial planning stages, the United States can transform energy infrastructure into a powerful tool for bolstering maritime security, surveillance, and warning systems in a region marked by growing confrontations.\n\nThe report points out that maritime and subsea infrastructure have gained critical importance in recent years, yet they are also highly susceptible to attacks. Subsea cables, responsible for conveying approximately 95% of global internet traffic, are particularly vulnerable to disruption. In fact, undersea cables were recently compromised in the Red Sea, causing connectivity issues for users across the Middle East, India, and Pakistan. Although the cables were eventually restored, the incident brought attention to the vulnerability of subsea cables.\n\nCSIS's analysis further reveals that the growing use of aerial drones, autonomous naval tools, and unmanned underwater vehicles intensifies maritime security risks and subsea infrastructure vulnerabilities. Alarmingly, drone threats are no longer limited to state actors but also stem from criminal gangs and drug traffickers. The report concludes that if private offshore wind farm developers and governments collaborate to equip turbines with surveillance, sensors, and data tracking tools, it could lead to enhanced maritime domain awareness. The CSIS highlights existing surveillance systems installed on wind farms in and around Norway, Belgium, Poland, and the UK. Allegra Dawes, a CSIS energy security fellow, emphasizes that enhanced cooperation in bolstering offshore wind farms for maritime security could yield a \"force multiplier\" effect, particularly for the United States.\n\nDoug Wolfe, the chief technology officer at Mighty Waves Energy, adds that artificial intelligence could further strengthen security by automating various maritime security processes and improving underwater monitoring. AI could swiftly identify and characterize various whale species, frequencies, and behaviors, among other applications.",
  "summary": "Offshore wind farms can enhance maritime security through greater co-operation and surveillance technology, a new analysis says. The report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington said that although offshore wind infrastructure has become more prevalent in recent decades, too little progress has been made in looking at how it could benefit national security.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Offshore wind farms can enhance maritime security, report says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/offshore-wind-farms-can-enhance-maritime-security-report-says",
        "published": "2026-10-21T18:29:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}