Pattern #002: The Baltic Testbed

How defense contracts are becoming an instrument of technological and political control

The British company Babcock International, the Swedish Saab and the Italian Fincantieri have signed agreements to expand cooperation with the Polish state defense group PGZ. These events are taking place against the background of the fact that the Polish Ministry of National Defense is accelerating work on the selection of new submarines that will expand its capabilities in the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea. All three companies have expressed interest in this program.

The essence of the pattern

Defense cooperation is not just a deal.
This is the deployment of a technology stack under the guise of "national security."

The signing of agreements between Babcock International (UK), Saab (Sweden), Fincantieri (Italy) and Polish PGZ is not just a commercial activity.

This is the synchronization of technological systems in a key region: the Baltic Sea.

It's not just about submarines.

It's about a new level of control over shallow waters, where:

• Acoustic conditions are difficult
• Surveillance is difficult
• Each new boat is a test of a new architecture

Where it manifests itself

Level	How it works
🔹 Level 1: Physical control	Poland expands military potential in the Baltic—a zone of strategic tension
🔹 Level 2: Technological control	Joint development = system integration: Saab Communications Fincantieri hulls Babcock control systems → Unified digital interface for the submarine
🔹 Level 3: Information control	The focus on "national defense" masks the testing of new tracking networks, AI data analysis, and underwater drones
🔹 Level 4: Consciousness	The narrative: The "threat from the East" normalizes the constant build-up of technology under water, in the air, on land

Sources

1. VPK.name — PGZ cooperation with Babcock, Saab & Fincantieri on Polish submarine program
2. Topwar.ru — analysis of the Orka program and tender landscape
3. Gazeta.ru — news on expanding international cooperation in Polish fleet modernization
4. Telegram channel "Театр Военных Действий" — contract details & submarine build plans with Babcock et al.
5. Army.az

Connection with other patterns

→ Pattern #001: The Border as a Testbed — how regions of tension become polygons

Why is this important?

Because the new submarine is not just a weapon.
This is a floating node of the network:

• Connections
• Sensors
• Artificial intelligence
• Integration with drones and satellites

It's not a boat.

This is the node of the future control system, which is first being tested in the Baltic, and then scaled up to the Mediterranean, Black, and South China Seas.

Tool: how to recognize "technological integration under the guise of defense"

(template for analyzing any defense contract)

1. Is there international cooperation between countries "from the same bloc"?
2. Is the language of "compatibility", "compatible systems", "common standards" used?
3. Is there a turnkey development — not a purchase, but a creation from scratch?
4. What new technologies are mentioned (AI, AR, autonomy)?
5. Where is the testing taking place — in a zone of geopolitical tension?

If the "yes" is 3+, it is not a defense. This is stack deployment.

Conclusion

Polish submarines are not just about defense.

This is a test of the future, where:

• Borders are not lines, but networks
• The weapon is not a machine, but a node
• Control is not physical, but architectural

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The Control Stack is an analytical model launched in August 2025