Submarine cables are hidden beneath our oceans – often out of sight and mind – but function as the backbone of the modern digital economy. Carrying more than 95% of international data traffic, this fiber-optic infrastructure enables financial transactions, cloud services, and daily communications across the globe. Yet, as our world grows more digitally interconnected, and as geopolitical risks intensify, the resilience of these systems has become a matter of international concern.
Recent disruptions to submarine cable communications have spurred governments to intensify scrutiny of subsea cable accidents. Recent high-profile instances of cable disruptions in the Baltic Sea and the Taiwan Strait have only increased concerns of sabotage, particularly by Russia and China.
On September 23, 2025, the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law convened a high-level roundtable to launch its paper, “Shoring Up Subsea Cable Security: A Comprehensive Action Plan to Promote Submarine Cable Resiliency, Security, and Governance.” The roundtable discussion, held under Chatham House Rule, convened government officials and industry leaders, including representatives from roughly a dozen of the countries that endorsed the “New York Joint Statement on the Security and Resilience of Undersea Cables in Globally Digitized World” (“The New York Principles”). Their presence underscored the growing momentum around protecting this vital infrastructure.
The New York Principles, first endorsed by 17 countries in 2024 and now backed by 30, marked a breakthrough in global awareness for subsea cable security. But principles alone are not enough. The new paper takes the next step, translating broad commitments into concrete, actionable recommendations. These include:
- Diversifying cable routes to reduce single points of failure.
- Strengthening repair capacity so disruptions can be addressed quickly and effectively.
- Reforming permitting processes to speed up deployments and repairs.
- Securing supply chains to ensure trusted and resilient infrastructure.
During the roundtable, participants highlighted the shared responsibility of governments and industry in carrying this agenda forward. Resilience and redundancy were recognized as the best defenses against both natural hazards and intentional threats to these vital lifelines. Calls for more coordinated repair processes, streamlined permitting, and clear government points of contact were recurring themes.
Looking ahead, stakeholders also stressed the importance of codifying “secure by design” standards, improving monitoring capabilities, and mapping global chokepoints to better understand and reduce systemic risks.
Ultimately, the conversation reflected a growing consensus: safeguarding undersea cables requires more than technical fixes. It demands sustained international cooperation, deeper public-private collaboration, and policy frameworks that empower, rather than hinder, our best defense against threats: redundancy and resilience. By translating principles into practice, the global community can better secure the infrastructure that underpins our digital lives.
You can read the full paper here.
