Undersea War examines threats to global internet cables

Most of the world's Internet traffic still travels through subsea fiber-optic cables, even with the expansion of satellite services like Starlink. These cables share the ocean floor with oil, gas, and power lines, and they now face increased sabotage risks as gray-zone warfare and open conflicts spread. This threat to invisible infrastructure is the central topic of Undersea War, written by Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and head of its Threats to the Global Maritime Order Initiative.

Braw's work examines the modern rise in suspicious incidents where ships dragging anchors for unusual periods have damaged cables and pipelines from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. While these events draw attention to state-sponsored or malicious actors, Braw notes that human error remains the leading cause of damage. Approximately 60 percent of incidents result from fishing and shipping activities, specifically when weighted nets or anchors drag across the seabed. Natural hazards such as storms and undersea landslides account for a smaller share of total damage.

In total, between 150 and 200 undersea cables are damaged each year. Most are repaired quickly after an incident occurs.