Recommendation 90

Dr Willett told us that international collaboration was “critical” to respond to the threat of maritime sabotage and the “one thing that potential adversaries of the West do not have”. 109 Dr Willett also emphasised the importance of effective collaboration between governments and industry, noting that private companies have extensive underwater surveillance capabilities. The Norwegian oil and gas sector, for example, has 600 remotely operated underwater surveillance vehicles. 110 The RAND Corporation told us that the UK could facilitate civilian-military collaboration on the protection of subsea infrastructure by creating a cross-government office that brought together the Ministry of Defence with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. 111