Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1) Following subsea fiber-optic cable cuts in the Baltic Sea in December 2024, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established the Critical Undersea Infrastructure Network to conduct information and threat intelligence sharing among private and public sector actors to protect subsea cables. (2) On February 21, 2025, the European Union published an EU Action Plan on Cable Security to include the development and deployment of an Integrated Surveillance Mechanism for Submarine cables work to establish a dedicated regional hub in the Baltic Sea to serve as a test bed of the integrated surveillance approach. (3) The Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN) published guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables and most recently announced plans to build a secure, diverse and resilient submarine cable network and to facilitate the expeditious deployment, repair, maintenance, removal, and protection of submarine cables, between ASEAN Member States. (4) On July 1, 2025, the Quad, represented by the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, met to reaffirm its commitment to the Quad Partnership on Cable Connectivity and Resilience. In the meeting, the Quad underscored the need for digital infrastructure collaboration, organizing a subsea cables forum to be hosted by the United States and India and encouraging regulatory harmonization between Quad partners. Through this initiative, the Quad seeks to defend and promote resilient, secure, and transparent digital infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific region.