Policy Exchange
Military submarine near a submarine cable of communications
A team of Chinese scientists presented a device capable of cutting underwater cables to great depth. Beijing now has the power to interrupt the global communications of the planet.
China has developed a Cabos Cutting Compact Device in deep waters, capable of cut the most fortified lines Communication or electricity submarines of the world, reveals the.
The device could shake the dynamics of world maritime power, says the Chinese newspaper.
This is the first time a country officially reveals that has such an asset, capable of interrupt critical underwater networks.
The tool is capable of Cut lines to depths of up to 4,000 meters – double the maximum operational reach of the underwater communication infrastructures currently
According to South China Morning Post, the device was designed specifically for Integration with advanced submersibles in Chinawith and without crew, such as Fendouzhe, or Striver, and the Haiou series.
Developed by the China Shipping Scientific Research Center (CSSRC) and the state -depth -manned vehicle laboratory, the device targets the carmored aboscoated with steel, rubber and polymers, which support 95% of the global data transmission.
Although it was Created as a civil rescue tool and exploration of marine backgrounds, the potential double use of the tool can make sound the alarm to other nations.
The tool could destabilize global communications During a geopolitical crisis, or, for example, cut the cables near strategic points, such as Guam, essential element of the army islands chain From the US, a defense strategy used by Americans to contain China.
Aquile heel
The series of sabotage attacks on submarine cables in the Baltic Sea that have registered in recent months has sounded the alarm in the NATO and exposed the vulnerability of global energy and telecommunications infrastructures based on these cables – considered the.
Between November and January, they were from Internet and telephone who connected Finland to Estonia, Finland to Germany, Latvia and Sweden – with damage that also affected other Baltic countries.
A principal Suspect falls on Russia’s “ghost fleet”consisting of old oil tankers carrying oil from Russia, surrounding sanctions against the country. NATO believes that ships drag anchors to damage connections at the bottom of the sea.
Around the worldthere are about 500 of these lines, totaling 1.4 million kilometers of cable. They are so long that they could surround Ecuador 30 times, and Every year new cables are added.
Most underwater connections are located In the Atlantic Oceanbetween Europe and North America, and No peacefulbetween the United States and East Asia. , which ensure, for example, 97% of internet access in our country.
However, there is no full global Atlas that shows the exact location of all cables. Platforms like SubmarinecaBlemap.com or Telegeography offer maps, but without exact information about the location.
