Committees

Undersea cables

Inquiry

Undersea cables form the backbone of the world’s internet. The UK has around 60 cables which connect us to the outside world, carrying 99% of our data. Concern has been growing about the risk of these cables being sabotaged by foreign states. The consequences would be extensive. This inquiry will examine the UK’s ability to defend our undersea infrastructure, alongside the UK’s national resilience in the event of a major, protracted disruption to our internet connection.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Thursday 13 March 2025.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Monday 19 May 2025
4:00pm Private
4:30pm Public
Undersea cables - Oral evidence 19 May 2025
4:30pm
  • Commodore (Rtd) John Aitken OBE (Underwater System Services General Manager at Thales, and former Deputy Director Submarines at Royal Navy)
  • Captain Niels Markussen (Director, NATO Maritime Centre for Security of Critical Undersea Infrastructure and NATO Shipping Centre at NATO)
5:20pm
  • Dr Marie Jacobsson (Former Principal Legal Adviser on International Law at Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
  • Professor Aurel Sari (Professor of Public International Law at University of Exeter, and Fellow at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe)
Room 4A, Palace of Westminster
Monday 12 May 2025
4:00pm Private
4:30pm Public
Undersea cables - Oral evidence 12 May 2025
4:30pm
  • Matthew Bowden (Director & General Manager at Red Penguin Marine)
  • Elisabeth Braw (Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council)
  • Dr Sidharth Kaushal (Senior Research Fellow, Sea Power at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI))
  • Professor Kevin Rowlands (Visiting Professor at Kings College London)
Room 4A, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

  • Email: jcnss@parliament.uk
  • Phone: 020 7219 4043 (general enquiries) | 07720 143396 (media enquiries)
  • Address: Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA