Cdr ( OF-4 ) HN Theodoros Bazinis
Head of Strategy , Policy & International Relations Section Hellenic Navy General Staff ( H . N . G . S .)
Commander Theodore Bazinis was born in 1975 in Piraeus , Greece . Graduated from Naval Academy in 1997 . Since then , was posted in Frigates as Communication & Operation Officer and XO . Served as CO in Fast Patrol Missile Boat Xenos . During his career he was assigned as Staff Officer in First Division Command of Hellenic Frigates Hellenic Fleet , Hellenic Fleet Operational Evaluation Directorate , and as Office Director of the Deputy Chief of Hellenic Fleet . He served three years as Program Director for Maritime C2 in NATO HQ SACT ( in Norfolk USA ). His current position is the Head of Strategy , Policy , and International Relations in Hellenic Navy General Staff . He holds , a Bachelor ’ s Degree , in Political Science and History and MA in International Relations and Strategic Studies . He is married and has one son .
" Protection of Maritime Critical Infrastructure , Security Threats & Challenges "
The protection of critical maritime infrastructures has become a top political priority , since the September 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea . First , of all , we must define what Maritime Infrastructure is . Due to the modern approach , the maritime domain and thus the Maritime Infrastructure included the ports and the means of transportation . Therefore , the expansion of maritime activities brought to surface several facilities in the maritime domain like the ones used for the exploration of maritime resources ( fishing ), mineral and energy resources , logistic centers , exploitation and energy and data transportation as well . This evolution was a transformative event for the maritime domain . So far , the maritime activities and thus the area of security , where limited to the fields of transportation by the sea surface and the embarkation / de-embarkation of goods . In nowadays the transportational means have been expanded to include beyond the ships , the seabed pipelines and cables that carry data and energy . Moreover , the sea is not only a mean of transportation but also a field of production as we yield energy resources and minerals . Thus , the maritime circle has been expanded to include the phases of Production – Transportation and Distribution , and this opportunity except for opportunities and prosperity brings to surface several threats and challenges . These challenges are generated by the increasing complexity , the enlargement of the field of maritime activities expands the offensive area where an enemy can stir his attack and his efforts . Hence vulnerability and complexity have been increased . Threats in maritime domain are deriving from different kind of actors ( states , sub-states , terrorist groups and non-intended actions as well ), are transnational and derive from different domains ( surface , subsurface , land , cyber , space ). But what is more critical is that the threats in maritime domain have spill over effects as their impacts are spread even geographically and in other domains ( ie a maritime accident can have economical , environmental , or energy security consequences which in turn create security issues ). In such a context , the protection of maritime critical infrastructure is very critical for the global order . The efforts to ensure their protection need a different security mentality and approach . First , as several different actors are engaged in the maritime domain , we need a multi-agent approach . Mapping , capabilities , responsibilities and weakness of all these actors should be the first step . Thereafter , we need to build common knowledge , interoperability and understanding among each other but more than that we need to establish mutual trust .