Undersea Strategy

The undersea domain — spanning submarine cables carrying the vast majority of global data traffic, critical seabed infrastructure, and the operating environment for naval competition — has become one of the most contested and least governed spaces in the Indo-Pacific.

This program examines how strategic competition, economic interdependence, and emerging technology are reshaping the undersea domain across the Pacific, from the cable networks connecting global commerce to the seabed sovereignty disputes redefining maritime boundaries.

Drawing on San Diego’s deep naval and research ecosystem, we develop practical strategies that strengthen undersea domain awareness, inform allied governance frameworks, and connect infrastructure vulnerability to broader Indo-Pacific security architecture.

Program includes:

• Assessing the strategic vulnerability of undersea cable networks and critical seabed infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific
• Examining seabed sovereignty disputes and their implications for maritime governance in Pacific Latin America and beyond
• Developing policy frameworks that integrate undersea domain awareness into allied deterrence and interoperability strategies