Eoin McNamara, research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) recently published a REMIT article titled “Reinforcing resilience: NATO’s role in enhanced security for critical undersea infrastructure” in the NATO Review.

Eoin says of the article: “The NATO Review is the policy magazine published by NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. The article discusses the legal and strategic ambiguity of maritime zones vital for global connectivity. It highlights instances of disruptive hybrid interference with undersea infrastructure in the Euro-Atlantic area. The article discusses the importance of closer EU-NATO cooperation to counter hybrid threats and explains the role of NATO’s recently created Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell. It is argued that these policy fora help to combine public and private expertise important when developing innovative security solutions for undersea infrastructure, most pertinently in emerging maritime technologies relating to sensors, surveillance, submersibles and undersea unmanned vehicles. The article argues that critical undersea infrastructure, vital in powering Western societies and economies, will remain an important security priority for the EU and NATO. 99% of the world’s data is carried through undersea cables. While attempts are underway to transfer more of this data traffic to satellite technologies, this transition remains sluggish while undersea connections continue to expand. Follow-up media discussion of the article featured with Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) and the prominent Irish podcast Dark State: Organized Crime, Terrorism and National Security, among other outlets.”

Abstract

Undersea infrastructure is vital in a global economy powered by data. 99% of the world’s data is transmitted through a global network of subsea cables. An estimated USD 10 trillion in financial transactions alone traverses these vast cable networks each day. As well as data cables, critical undersea infrastructure also includes electricity connectors and pipelines supplying oil and gas. As great power tensions escalate, undersea infrastructure serving the Euro-Atlantic community has emerged as an attractive target for hybrid interference, meaning that the security of this infrastructure should be a NATO priority.

Full citation

Eoin Micheál McNamara, “Reinforcing resilience: NATO’s role in enhanced security for critical undersea infrastructure”, NATO Review, August 2024.
https://www.nato.int/docu/review/articles/2024/08/28/reinforcing-resilience-natos-role-in-enhanced-security-for-critical-undersea-infrastructure/index.html

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