Senators Urge Biden to Review Subsea Cable Security

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2024 – With 95% of the world's internet traffic flowing through undersea cables, the security of these digital lifelines has come under renewed scrutiny. 

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called on President Joe Biden to initiate a review of security vulnerabilities within these critical subsea global systems.

"It is imperative that the U.S undertake a review of existing vulnerabilities to global undersea cable infrastructure, including the threat of sabotage by Russia as well as the growing role of the People’s Republic of China in cable laying and repair," the lawmakers said in an Oct. 21 letter to President Biden. "If we are truly to deepen vital commercial and security relationships with willing partners and allies, this must be a national priority." 

The lawmakers, led by Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Chris Murphy, D-Cont., said there was precedent for their concerns. "For example, in both World Wars, Britain’s first naval actions were to cut the telegraph cables connecting Germany to the Americas, and in 1918 a German U-boat severed lines connecting New York to both Nova Scotia and Panama,” the letter said.

The senators, who also included Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, raised a number of questions regarding the administration’s overall strategy for protecting U.S. undersea infrastructure and that of its allies.

They also asked what was the ideal size of the U.S.-flagged and U.S.-operated cable-laying and repair vessel fleet to ensure sufficient cable repair capacity, and how was the White House working to encourage other nations to choose trusted undersea cable manufacturers.

A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned that dependency on Chinese vessels for cable-laying and repairs could become a serious liability during geopolitical conflicts, noting a “deliberate” pattern of Chinese interference with Taiwan’s undersea cables.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington criticized the Senators' letter, saying it was “turning undersea cables into a political and security issue," Reuters reported.