US Admiral Warns Of Growing Threats To Undersea Internet Cables

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Most Americans likely believe the internet comes from space, via satellites. But the vast majority of information that flows across tens of billions of devices connected to the internet comes from the sea. 500 fiber-optic undersea cables carry more than 95% of all internet data.

And they are very vulnerable. This, from retired admiral and former NATO Commander, James Stavridis.

While the cables are reasonably sturdy — the fiber strands are protected by many layers of copper, steel, and plastics — they can be damaged.

First, they can be vulnerable to natural disasters, both on the ocean floor, where earthquakes can disturb them, and at the surface, where cables connect to land-based infrastructure.

A second threat is man-made: from terrorists, anarchists, luddites who hate the internet, and random agitators. While such actors can’t really reach the seafloor cables, they can attempt to disrupt the connections at the water’s edge or use cyber-attacks to sabotage the cable operations.

But the biggest threat is the ability of national actors — Russia, China, the U.S., and many European powers — to use submarines or surface ships to attack the cables.

This can be done by simply dragging an anchor or specially designed seafloor tool across the cables, or by having submarines attack them.

This could cause massive disruptions to the entire global internet, weaken transportation grids, disrupt communications between nations, and undermine national and regional defense.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Space Force declined to name winners of first space-based orbital missile interceptor prototypes for Golden Dome, further adding to secrecy of the project.

HOMELAND SECURITY

National Guard troops patrolling in D.C. will be paired with Metropolitan Police officers, at least temporarily, in wake of attack that killed one National Guard member and critically injured another.

Afghan suspect in shooting of two National Guard members in downtown Washington, D.C. being charged with first-degree murder after one victim died.

Trump administration directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to pause all asylum decisions in wake of shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C.

Coast Guard plans to spend over $17 billion for 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters—for search and rescue operations, among other missions. Two shipbuilders have started building the ships before completing design. Building ships with incomplete designs is risky.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Pentagon’s investigation of Dem. Sen. Mark Kelly over seditious video that urges U.S. troops to defy “illegal orders” has raised slew of questions, and some criticism, from legal experts.

VENEZUELA-NARCO THREAT

War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, denied reporting that he may have illegally ordered all people killed in military strike in Caribbean as “fake news,” adding the strikes of people on narco boats has been “lawful under both U.S. and international law.”

Sinking of 21 drug boats and killing of dozens of narco-terrorists by Trump administration over past two months has sparked debate among legal experts and lawmakers.

President Trump said airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety.” Venezuela’ illegitimate strongman Nicolás Maduro accused Trump of making a “colonial threat.”

Maduro called on Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to help Venezuela counter “growing and illegal threats” from U.S. and Trump.

US POWER OVERSEAS

The two U.S. Air Force F 35A stealth fighter squadrons based at RAF Lakenheath have achieved full operating capacity.

Army shuts down brigade that specializes in training foreign troops in Middle East and Africa as part of service’s broader transformation plans.

Navy salvage vessel still combing depths of South China Sea for remnants of jet and helicopter that crashed last month within 30 minutes of each other.

CHINA THREAT

China shows off new flat-topped amphibious assault ship in sea trials.

Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) will procure next generation Japanese anti-landing craft missiles next year as Tokyo prioritizes coastal defense systems to defend its southwestern islands.

Meanwhile, Tokyo’s top defense official toured Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) and Coast Guard facilities across those southwestern islands – including base located 70 nautical miles away from Taiwan.

Guam recently hosted U.S., Japanese, Indian, Australian and South Korean navies for multilateral exercises, including anti-submarine warfare and advanced maneuvering scenarios.

U.S. military task force of sixty personnel from U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, led by Marine major general is operating in Philippines.

RUSSIA THREAT

U.S. lawmakers are preparing bill to impose sanctions on Russia as part of pushback against Trump administration’s weak-on-Russia proposed agreement to end fighting in Ukraine.

Ukraine, NATO launch joint program to boost counter-drone tech and secure battlefield communications capabilities.

Rafales and Gripens: New agreement, likely to include Rafale fighter jets and new air defense capabilities, expands Ukraine’s aviation diversification strategy, presented as decisive for future of Ukrainian military aviation.

Netherlands to cobble together an air-defense system by fitting remote-controlled weapon system on wheeled armor to provide infantry units with mobile anti-drone capacity, plugging c-UAS capability gap before getting the Skyranger 30 in 2028.

NATO — Sweden scrambled Gripen fighters to intercept Russian long-range aircraft flying over Baltic Sea, after radar picked up multiple cruise-missile-armed Tu-22M3 bombers travelling with escorting Su-35 fighters.

Romania to boost its Black Sea fleet with Turkish-built Hisar-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV).

Defense firm Leonardo shows Michelangelo, an AI missile shield for Europe, a new approach to European air and missile defense, built around real time data fusion and AI assisted decision making.

Lithuania will cover all costs of hosting U.S. troops, where new barracks is among the improvements made for U.S. forces deployed along NATO’s eastern edge.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Palestinian communities forced into lockdown in parts of occupied West Bank, as Israeli military continues to carry out wide-scale, deadly raids.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked country’s president to grant him a pardon from corruption charges — seeking to end long-running trial that has bitterly divided the nation.

A ‘war crime’ by Israel after 13 killed, Syria says. An Israeli military operation on a Syrian village turned into the deadliest attack by foreign nation on Syria since ouster of former dictator Bashar al-Assad last year.

Lebanese army boosts its presence along border with Israel, dismantling Hezbollah posts.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea’s government media denounced the year’s U.S. military activity in region as “gravely threatening” to “strategic stability” on Korean Peninsula.

SPACE THREATS

Through little-known program called Kronos, Space Force has been consolidating and modernizing legacy systems that provide satellite operators with intelligence tools and command-and-control.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Finland released new Arctic security strategy that seeks to define its growing role in region facing overlapping claims by friends and foes alike.

Honduras election on knife edge as Trump-backed conservative Nasry Afsura slightly ahead.

US MILITARY

Research into traumatic brain injuries has neglected effects of TBI on special operations forces, according to new study.

Navy now has final Freedom-class littoral combat ship, a troubled collection of vessels once valued for their promise as stealthy multi-mission combatants.

Earlier than ever. Marine Corps hit its fiscal 2026 retention goals just weeks after the target window opened.

Boeing received Air Force contract for 15 more KC-46 Pegasus tankers, bringing number of tankers for all customers, foreign and domestic, to 183.

America’s most modern combat medicine was developed in War on Terror counterinsurgency operations (COIN). However, the rise of large-scale combat operations (LSCO), as in Ukraine, provides new life-or-death lessons for U.S. combat medicine.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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