BLOG - Bornholm must be defended with internet, infrastructure, yeast, free flights and love

Saithan

Experienced member
Denmark Correspondent
Messages
8,092
Reactions
21 18,639
Nation of residence
Denmark
Nation of origin
Turkey

Bornholm must be defended with internet, infrastructure, yeast, free flights and love​

Of
Niels Klingenberg Vistisen
-
18. november 2022
7
20170626_Bornholm-696x392.jpg


The Gardehusarregiment's reconnaissance squadron on Bornholm drives over the rocky island in armored Eagle IV patrol vehicles in June 2017. The soldiers are finalizing their preparations to deploy to Afghanistan as Resolute Support Team 7 in August. Photo: Anders Fridberg/Forsvaret

BLOG: Bornholm is a key strategic point in the Baltic Sea, which we must defend. But it makes far better sense to strengthen the infrastructure to and on Bornholm than to rearm with military forces, wrote Niels Klingenberg after the Folkemødet in June 2017. The latest events make the blog from the archive relevant again.​

De latest incidents with the sabotage against the gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 in September, power cuts and GPS disturbances make this blog from 2017 so relevant again that it is worth reading again. In hybrid warfare, resilience and preparedness are a very important part of the nation's overall defense. Therefore, Bornholm must still be defended with yeast, internet, free flights – and love. Nothing has changed since 1945, 1986 and 2017.
*
The retired general and Cold War historian Michael Clemmesen wrote in a chronicle in Jyllands-Posten on 12 June (2017) that Denmark should establish a real defense on Bornholm with real army forces, because the island is the key to the Baltic Sea - at least in the sense that that its possession is central to the West's ability to reinforce the Baltic countries in the event of a crisis with Russia.
Clemmesen points out that historically the island has had a key role in the Baltic Sea, and that Russian amphibious forces in Kaliningrad can be used either against Bornholm or Gotland. He insists that the Swedes have realized the threat and are now strengthening the military defense of Gotland in particular. He very correctly concludes that the current garrison on Bornholm, in the form of the reconnaissance squadron, is more about public workplaces and local politics than it is about a military professional assessment.

Read also: Claus Hjort Frederiksen: "Russia is a dictatorship-like state"
In fact, he says that the chief of defense would rather see that there was nothing military on Bornholm. But according to Clemmesen, the politicians should realize the threat from the east and reinforce Bornholm with an actual land military force with both short- and long-range anti-aircraft missiles (of which the Danish defense has none at all today).

Strategically important for both Russia and NATO​

I somewhat disagree with Clemmesen, and not anyway. I agree that Bornholm is strategically and operationally important - also for the Baltic Sea, both for Russians heading west and NATO forces heading east. But I miss some nuances for how war and crisis might take place today, and what kind of defense of Bornholm is needed to counter just that. And I am neither a disarmament idealist nor an advocate of any kind of pacification, on the contrary.

If Bornholm is first attacked by a Russian military force, we in Denmark and in the West have bigger problems than defending Bornholm. Then we might concentrate on defending Poland. If an actual attack comes, it will be very difficult to defend Bornholm – especially against the modern and agile forces that the Russians have today. It also includes advanced surface-to-surface missiles such as Iskander missiles that may already be in Kaliningrad. If one is looking for a limited area to use a tactical nuclear weapon on, where the consequences are limited (geographically), Bornholm might be a suitable size if the island is an obvious military target.

No, if there is an escalation in the Baltic Sea, where Bornholm can play a role, then it is in an early phase of an undeclared hybrid war-like situation. There will probably be destabilization and unrest in one or more Baltic countries. In a hybrid war, there will not be an actual military attack against Bornholm. Instead, other means will be used to destabilize society on the island.

Maersk will ship eggs and yeast to Bornholm​

Maybe power, heat, internet disappear, maybe the ferry can't sail and the plane can't fly, because of various accidents. Agents will influence a sentiment against the mother country which cannot remedy the situation. It can be both cyber attacks such as hacking, or outright sabotage that are the cause of the problems. Without TV and telephone connections, it won't be long before a little panic will spread. Maybe there aren't enough police on the island to solve all the problems, or to deal with crime, or to catch agents, or whatever.

Therefore, the very best defense of Bornholm will be a solid infrastructure and a close connection to the motherland. As soon as Danish Air Transport cannot fly to Rønne because the airspace in the Baltic Sea is closed, the Air Force's Hercules must fly for free both there and back. When the ferries do not sail from Ystad, a chartered Maersk ship, protected by a frigate, must sail eggs and yeast to the island. When the mobile network is shut down, the Telegraph Regiment must set up new masts, DR TV must broadcast from and on Bornholm, and the politicians must go there. Quickly.

We must crush Bornholm from day one, but we must have the physical (military) means to support it. In other words, we must be able to repeat the air bridge to Berlin, like the love bridge to Bornholm. For that, there is only a need for a strong will to defend the local population, and I think the Bornholmers probably have that!

The article is solely an expression of the author's personal opinion.
This blog was first published on June 16, 2017.

20220607 NielsVistisen2


Niels Klingenberg Vistisen has been a blogger at OLFI for several years alongside a career in the Armed Forces. He switched to civilian life in the spring of 2022. Photo: Ernstved

 

Follow us on social media

Top Bottom