The Weaponisation and Protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI)
21 Oct 2025
Level 3, Room GW3 | Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Geopolitics and the Weaponisation of Critical Infrastructure
Undersea cables form the backbone of modern communications and are critical to a nation’s digital economy. This talk explores how undersea cables, (considered by some as Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI)) have become strategic assets vulnerable to weaponisation via disruption, surveillance, and sabotage.
Drawing from recent developments, the session outlines how global actors are adopting a five-pronged strategy (military, political, industry, legal, and technology) to protect them. Multilateral efforts and military responses are evolving, exemplified by ASEAN’s Defence Ministers’ agreement to strengthen CUI cooperation. National and regional efforts to boost critical infrastructure legislation, improve coordination on laying and repairing cables are also needed.
The talk also highlights technological innovations, such as AI-enabled monitoring systems to leverage advanced analytics to detect and classify threats in real time, offering a new layer of resilience.
Drawing from recent developments, the session outlines how global actors are adopting a five-pronged strategy (military, political, industry, legal, and technology) to protect them. Multilateral efforts and military responses are evolving, exemplified by ASEAN’s Defence Ministers’ agreement to strengthen CUI cooperation. National and regional efforts to boost critical infrastructure legislation, improve coordination on laying and repairing cables are also needed.
The talk also highlights technological innovations, such as AI-enabled monitoring systems to leverage advanced analytics to detect and classify threats in real time, offering a new layer of resilience.
