Hidden Systems
Image: Japan-US submarine cable commemorative stamp. 1964
After a hiatus longer than the average submarine cable repair mission (typically 2-3 weeks at sea), I've resurfaced on LinkedIn. Unlike when actual undersea cables go offline, my digital absence triggered fewer global connectivity issues. This note is my first on the platform in, oh, I don’t know — nine years? My page is linked at the end of this note. Feel free to connect.
Submarine cables, the fiber optic conduits encased in protective layers and laid across ocean floors, constitute the fundamental architecture of global digital communication. They stretch over 1.3 million kilometers (approximately 808,000 miles) in 650 known systems across the planet's seabeds. These technological marvels transmit +95% of international data. Their significance transcends mere infrastructure; they physically manifest our digital landscape while remaining virtually invisible to public consciousness.
What makes these systems fascinating is their paradoxical format. These fiber optic strands, often no thicker than a garden hose, sustain trillions in daily financial transactions while remaining susceptible to disruption. Projects like Meta's Waterworth cable, which has a proposed route longer than the circumference of the planet, represent not merely technological advancement but strategic positioning in global power structures, reflecting how control over physical data pathways has become fundamental to national sovereignty.
NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) has recently highlighted this vulnerability. Their 2024 innovation challenge addresses how these cables represent a point where critical infrastructure and supply chains intersect, creating complex security challenges. When underwater infrastructure fails, it can cascade into manufacturing disruptions, transportation breakdowns, and compromised security.
Sophisticated technology is one way to protect these systems: autonomous underwater vehicles for surveillance, satellite gravimetry, acoustic imaging, and systems withstanding pressures at 6000m depths (6 kilometers or 3.7 miles). These innovations reflect a growing understanding that geopolitical security now extends to the ocean floor.
The protection of these systems demands a holistic view of interconnected risks from cyberattacks, aging infrastructure, natural disasters, and climate change, with solutions ranging from early warning systems to real-time monitoring technologies.
As human operations extend into increasingly extreme environments, these invisibly critical systems must evolve while maintaining their essential function.
The linked map shows locations for cable landing points in your area. Notice Russia's cable deployment in the Arctic compared to Canada's.
