[War & Business] The 'Underwater Cable' War Resumes Amid the New Cold War

US-Europe High-Voltage Undersea Cable Project
Nations Grapple with Security Risks Amid Russian Threats to Cut Cables

Atlantic submarine cable inspection scene. [Image source=Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)]

As the Russia-Ukraine war prolongs, Europe, which heavily depended on Russian oil and natural gas, is experiencing public unrest due to soaring electricity prices. Meanwhile, the Middle East, which served as an alternative supply region, is also facing intensified clashes between Israel and Hamas, and the Yemeni Houthi rebels are launching indiscriminate attacks on Red Sea trade routes, making oil exports to Europe even more difficult.

To overcome this situation, discussions on installing high-voltage underwater cables connecting the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe are actively underway. According to CNN, European power companies, including the UK energy supplier Etchea-energy, have proposed to their respective countries the installation of high-voltage underwater cables linking the west coast of the UK, eastern Canada, New York, and the west coast of France.

If the cable installation is realized, Europe’s energy crisis could be significantly alleviated. However, the key issue is how to maintain the security of these cables. Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia?suspected to be behind the explosion of the Nord Stream 2 underwater gas pipeline connected to Germany?could threaten the security of these cables.

Following the Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosion, European countries have already begun strengthening their naval forces out of concern that Russia might damage underwater fiber optic cables and power cables. In particular, Nordic countries such as Finland and Sweden, which recently joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), anticipate that Russia would target underwater cables first if it initiates military provocations.

Underwater cables have historically been facilities that opposing sides sought to control first during wars. Since the world’s first underwater communication cable was laid across the Dover Strait between the UK and France in 1850, underwater cables have been installed worldwide and used as major military communication networks. In Korea, the UK, which occupied Geomundo Island in 1885, installed an underwater cable connecting Shanghai and Geomundo. Later, during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japan laid underwater cables connecting Ulleungdo, Dokdo, and Japan to monitor the Russian fleet. During World Wars I and II, the German and British navies competed to locate and cut enemy underwater cables in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

This underwater cable warfare, which continued intermittently through the Cold War, quieted down after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 but now faces the risk of resuming. The Houthi rebels, who are currently blocking the Red Sea trade routes, have threatened to cut maritime cables in the Mediterranean and Red Sea if Israel’s attacks on Hamas do not cease, prompting countries to consider countermeasures.

Alongside the Atlantic, East Asia’s underwater cable network, stretching from Korea’s southern sea to the East China Sea, is also plagued by security concerns. Unlike Europe, which is mostly connected by land except for the UK, Northeast Asia’s geographic characteristic?where Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan are all connected via the sea?makes over 90% of overseas internet usage dependent on underwater cable networks.

In this context, concerns have arisen that Russia and China, suspected of possessing numerous submarines specialized in cutting underwater cables, could target these cables in the event of localized conflicts. With North Korea and Russia becoming militarily closer and North Korea’s weapon exports through the West Sea openly continuing, the Korean government must pay even greater attention to underwater cable security than it does now.