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 11:59pm on 13 March 2025.

Upcoming events

View all events

No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Monday 30 June 2025
4:30pm Public
Undersea cables - Oral evidence 30 June 2025
4:30pm
  • Sir Chris Bryant MP (Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
  • Luke Pollard MP (Minister for the Armed Forces at Ministry of Defence)
  • Kevin Adams (Deputy Director for Telecoms Security and Resilience at Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
  • Paul Wyatt (Director-General for Security Policy at Ministry of Defence)
Room 4A, Palace of Westminster
Monday 9 June 2025
4:00pm Private
5:20pm Public
Undersea cables - Oral evidence 9 June 2025
5:20pm
  • Mick McGovern (General Manager Marine Operations at Alcatel Submarine Networks)
  • Alasdair Wilkie (Chairman at Atlantic Cable Maintenance & Repair Agreement (ACMA))
  • John Wrottesley (Executive Director at European Subsea Cables Association)
4:30pm
  • Laura Catterick (Director, Resilience & Cyber at UK Finance)
  • Chief Constable Gavin Stephens (Chair at National Police Chiefs' Council)
  • Alex Towers (Director of Policy and Public Affairs at BT Group)
  • Dr Fenella Wrigley MBE (Chief Medical Officer and Deputy CEO at London Ambulance Service, and Ambulance Medical Advisor at NHS England)
Room 4A, Palace of Westminster
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

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.

  • Email: jcnss@parliament.uk
  • Address: Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0AA