Australia, alongside regional partners, must push for stronger international frameworks that can differentiate between these scenarios and hold the responsible parties accountable.
For Australia’s part, the recent establishment of the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre with an A$18 million (US$11.9 million) investment over four years is a commendable start, framed as a contribution to efforts by the Quad grouping in this area. But alone this commitment will be insufficient.
What’s needed is a comprehensive Indo-Pacific regional cable protection framework, developed in collaboration with Southeast Asian and Pacific partners, to fortify undersea infrastructure against escalating geopolitical threats.
This framework should include the establishment of cable protection zones across the Indo-Pacific and other measures to ensure the integrity of this critical infrastructure. The lack of a robust cable protection regime in Papua New Guinea or Solomon Islands, for instance, underscores the urgency.
The Baltic Sea incident should serve as a wake-up call, not just for Europe, but for Australia and its Indo-Pacific partners. The region’s heavy reliance on undersea cables, coupled with the strategic volatility of the South China Sea, should drive efforts address vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure protection frameworks.
It is not only about preventing damage; it’s about ensuring that when damage occurs, it is addressed swiftly and precisely, with rigorous accountability enforced.
Cynthia Mehboob is a PhD Scholar based at the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University. This commentary first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blog, The Interpreter.
Source: CNA
