Subsea Cable Warfare
Subsea cables carry 95 percent of all global internet traffic. Countries rely on these fiber-optic lines for daily banking, government communication, and trade. Major powers now target these cables to disrupt rival economies. Militaries map these underwater networks to cut them during conflicts. This creates a new battleground under the oceans. Naval fleets currently patrol key chokepoints like the Red Sea and the South China Sea to protect their cable infrastructure.
Core Context Pillars
Pillar 1
State actors use submarines and deep-sea drones to tap into subsea cables and steal raw data.
Pillar 2
The United States and China fight for control over new cable routes in the Pacific Ocean to secure their data paths.
Pillar 3
Hostile navies and armed groups cut cables in shallow waters to block internet access for entire regions.
Pillar 4
Private tech companies like Google and Meta now own most new cables, which forces governments to partner with them for security.