Lords Committee to hear evidence on subsea infrastructure in the Arctic and High North
Monday 3 July 2023
On Wednesday 5 July the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee will continue its inquiry into the Arctic region as it hears from a panel of witnesses about the risk to critical infrastructure including the threat of sabotage to undersea cables in the Arctic region and the High North.
The session will also explore the role of the UK and other allied nations in deterring threats in the region.
The session will start at 10.35am and will be available to watch live or on demand on Parliament TV, or attend in person in Committee Room 2, Palace of Westminster.
Giving evidence will be:
10.35am
- Dr Sidharth Kaushal, Royal United Services Institute; and
- Dr Lee Willett, independent writer and analyst on naval, maritime and defence and security.
Questions for discussion will include:
- How serious is the threat of maritime sabotage by Russia to undersea cables? Do you agree with Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach that subsea sabotage represents “a new risk to our way of life.
- The 2021 Defence Command Paper stated that “Russia is investing in and developing significant underwater capabilities, including deep-sea capabilities which can threaten undersea cables”. What are these capabilities and how extensive are they?
- In your assessment how significant are Russian efforts to survey, hack or disrupt undersea cables? Are other adversaries engaged in these activities?
- How can the UK and its allies deter threats to their subsea infrastructure? What capabilities do the UK and its allies have to monitor and protect seabed infrastructure?
- In February this year, NATO announced the creation of a Critical Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell to boost the security of Allied undersea infrastructure. How well are Western states working together to improve situational awareness, and to attribute and deter malign activity.
