Britain's internet backbone is at risk: It's time to stop being timid and properly defend out subsea cables

Subsea telecommunications cables run for miles along the seabed, and are about as wide as a garden hose. It is hard to imagine that this vast, hidden network represents the backbone of the global internet.

They carry 99% of the world’s intercontinental telecommunications data - everything from billion-dollar financial transactions to banal WhatsApp messages.

The UK is almost entirely reliant on these internet cables to connect to the outside world. But their physical security can no longer be taken for granted.

As Russia tests NATO resolve and concerns grow about sabotage, the UK’s dependence looks like a strategic vulnerability – and one the Government must address fast.

The global internet system has expanded hugely during an era of geopolitical stability. But the assumptions that underpinned that world are fading.

Russia and China are challenging the rules-based order. The United States is re-evaluating its commitments to European security. The UK’s military importance in Europe is growing.

Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, which I chair, has published its report on what this all means for our subsea internet cables, with a warning: our defences are too timid, and we are not prepared for major disruption.

I watched with concern earlier this year as the Russian spy ship Yantar was spotted near UK waters, probably mapping our weaknesses.

The Government was quick to warn President Putin. But there may come a time when words will not suffice.

We questioned the Government about its contingency plans for major disruption to UK cables. We were told that we were focusing on “apocalyptic” scenarios. We disagree: crises that once seemed inconceivable are now plausible.

Russia’s recent drone incursion into NATO airspace is just the latest example of efforts to test the edges of the alliance. Unintended escalation in future is possible.

The Government’s National Security Strategy is explicit about a direct threat to the UK homeland.

Our report calls for more muscular responses: tougher legal sanctions, better monitoring and law enforcement capabilities, and directly intercepting suspicious vessels and crew.

Of course, we must not panic. Day-to-day resilience is very robust, and the cable industry does an excellent job at handling business-as-usual incidents.

But I fear that business as usual is no longer enough. Russian aggression can escalate much faster than we can upgrade resilience. We should be honest about the risks – not hope they won’t happen.

The world we are entering is more uncertain than ever: we must be ready.

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Matt Western MP is the Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy - you can read the report here

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