The protection of submarine cables in Southeast Asia: The security gap and challenges and opportunities for regional cooperation

Abstract

This article argues that Southeast Asian states’ efforts to promote resilience on submarine cables should move beyond facilitating cable deployment and repair to encompass cooperation on the protection of submarine cables from intentional damage given recent incidents highlighting the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure. While protection of submarine cables from damage (routine or non-routine) requires a broad range of legal and policy measures taken by states, industry and other relevant stakeholders, this article focuses on intentional damage to submarine cables and the measures highlighted in the 2023 General Assembly Resolution on Oceans and Law of the Sea, namely, cooperative measures by states aimed at the detection, prevention and suppression of threats to submarine cables consisting of (1) monitoring; (2) prevention and response; (3) the enhanced sharing of information; and (4) the adoption of national laws on the prosecution of offenders. The analysis views intentional damage to submarine cables through the lens of maritime security and examines challenges and opportunities for regional cooperation between Southeast Asian states on these four measures. It also explores the role that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the primary intergovernmental organization in the region, can play in facilitating cooperation on the protection of submarine cables, and makes recommendations on areas of possible cooperation on the protection of submarine cables.