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Submarine cables in Australia, Indo-Pacific face growing attack risk: Report

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A new report warns that submarine cables in Australia and the Indo-Pacific face increasing threats from state and non-state actors, potentially causing severe economic disruption.
  • The report highlights Australia's heavy reliance on these cables for international connectivity and its lack of a comprehensive strategy for protection and governance.
  • It cites recent incidents in European waters and near Taiwan, suggesting these attacks are part of hybrid warfare strategies to degrade connectivity during conflicts.

Submarine cables, vital for Australia's digital connectivity, are under growing threat from both state and non-state adversaries, a new report from the National Security College at the Australian National University warns. The report, partly funded by the Department of Defence, emphasizes that disruptions to these cables could devastate economies by halting international trade, severing cloud-based services, and disrupting financial markets.

growing threats from state and non-state adversaries

— National Security College reportDescribing the risks faced by submarine cables.

About 99 percent of Australia's international connectivity relies on these undersea lines, making the potential consequences of an attack severe. The report criticizes Australia's current approach, stating the country "lacks a comprehensive strategy to properly protect and govern its submarine cable networks." It urges the nation to improve monitoring and repair capabilities, ensuring swift repairs and priority access to repair services.

Major disruptions to submarine cables can have immediate and severe economic impacts, disrupting financial markets, halting international trade, and severing cloud-based services

— National Security College reportExplaining the potential consequences of cable attacks.

The report points to recent incidents in European waters and near Taiwan as evidence of escalating threats. Cables connecting Taiwan's islands were severed 27 times between 2018 and 2022, and multiple incidents have occurred in the Baltic Sea, including one where a Chinese-flagged vessel was accused of damaging two networks. These events suggest a deliberate probing of cable infrastructure by state actors as part of hybrid warfare tactics, aimed at degrading connectivity at the onset of a conflict.

Australia lacks a comprehensive strategy to properly protect and govern its submarine cable networks

— National Security College reportAssessing Australia's current preparedness.

Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, has voiced similar concerns, stating in May that the seabed is "becoming a battlefield." He noted a collective slowness in recognizing submarine cables as strategic targets. An international effort is underway to protect these critical networks, with 17 countries, including Australia, launching guiding principles for underwater infrastructure.

The more recent incidents in the Baltic Sea and around Taiwan suggest that state actors are now actively probing and testing cable infrastructure in peacetime as part of broader hybrid warfare strategies, with the intention of being able to rapidly degrade connectivity at the outset of a conflict

— National Security College reportAnalyzing the motives behind recent cable incidents.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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