US and India partner to secure undersea cable networks

The United States and India have entered a partnership to enhance the security, resilience, and diversification of global undersea cable networks. This collaboration, announced via the US-India TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilising Strategic Technologies) Initiative, aims to safeguard critical subsea communication infrastructure that serves as the backbone for the global digital economy, cloud services, and artificial intelligence.

Undersea cables facilitate between 95 and 99 percent of all international data traffic, supporting an estimated $10 trillion in daily financial transactions. Because these cables are often located in strategically sensitive or contested waters, the U.S. Navy is increasingly focused on their protection as a new frontier of maritime security.

The partnership seeks to leverage India’s strategic geographical location and booming digital economy to establish the country as a primary global subsea cable and digital hub. To advance these goals, government and industry experts recently convened for an “Undersea Cables Workshop” to address the vulnerabilities of these essential digital arteries.