Since the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and other attacks on subsea infrastructure near Taiwan and the Arctic, governments and companies have sharply increased investment in technology to protect underwater cables and pipelines. Chatham House researcher Katja Bego says advances in AI, drones and autonomous vehicles are enabling new forms of seabed surveillance, reversing decades of neglect since the Cold War. Over 1.5 million kilometers of submarine communications cables now underpin the global economy, making their protection a growing strategic priority.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-19
A Reuters report says a joint US, UK, and Norwegian naval operation this spring detected Russian submarines rehearsing the use of an undisclosed device meant to disable undersea cables without leaving traceable damage. The exercise reportedly took place near Norway's Svalbard archipelago, where two 1,400km cables running nearly 3km deep link the islands to the mainland. No cables were actually harmed, and officials describe the Russian activity as a simulation for use in a potential future conflict with NATO.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-11
A poem titled 'Safe Distance' uses imagery of undersea fiber optic cables, packet transmission, and network latency to depict a long-distance relationship mediated by technology. The piece frames digital communication as both a bridge and a barrier, with signals, nodes, and handshakes standing in for human touch and vulnerability.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-08-23
GoKawiil