Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
The UK’s strategic reliance on subsea cables will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Conclusion
The UK’s strategic reliance on subsea cables will likely continue for the foreseeable future. The cable industry provides a commendable and commercially efficient repair service, which ensures good resilience against moderate damage. We do not believe there is an imminent threat to the UK’s national connectivity. (Conclusion, Paragraph 14) Threat picture
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of updated risk scenarios and commits to considering how to best update reasonable worst-case scenarios within national risk assessments to reflect the possibility of coordinated sabotage on subsea and terrestrial internet infrastructure.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees with the Committee on the importance of ensuring that public and private risk scenarios reflect the evolving threat landscape, including the potential for coordinated sabotage targeting subsea cables, terrestrial infrastructure, and onward connections to Europe. telecoms and internet infrastructure, as part of the Government’s national risk assessment process. This will include consideration of how best to update the reasonable worst-case scenarios (RWCS) within our national risk assessments to reflect the possibility of coordinated sabotage on subsea and terrestrial internet infrastructure, including onward connections to Europe.