The US thinks Russia will cut the undersea internet cables if conflict breaks out

[midian182]

An increasing number of Russian submarines and spy ships operating near undersea cables carrying most global internet communications has US officials worried that Russia may be planning to sever the lines in periods of conflict, according to a New York Times report.

The Times pointed out that there was no evidence of cable cutting but rising tensions between the two countries has led many US and allied officials fearing that Russia may be prepared to cut the fibre-optic cables and halt the online communications which so many western governments rely on.

The Pentagon and other national security agencies won’t publicly discuss Russia’s naval activities in detail, but several top officials have confirmed that it has become a source of concern. “I’m worried every day about what the Russians may be doing,” said Rear Adm. Frederick J. Roegge, commander of the Navy’s submarine fleet in the Pacific.

Last month, American spy satellites, ships and planes closely monitored the Russian spy ship Yantar, which is equipped with two self-propelled deep-sea submersible craft, as it cruised off the US East Coast toward Cuba — where one major cable lands near the American naval station at Guantánamo Bay. The Times reported that the ship and the submersible vehicles it carries are able to cut cables miles deep beneath the sea.

“This is yet another example of a highly assertive and aggressive regime seemingly reaching backwards for the tools of the Cold War, albeit with a high degree of technical improvement,” said Adm. James Stavridis, formerly NATO’s top military commander and now dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

While the location of undersea cables aren't exactly a guarded secret, the exceptions are the special cables that have been commissioned by the United States for military operations; these do not appear on widely available maps, and officials say it’s possible that the Russians are trying to find them.

The West’s governments, economies and citizens are completely dependent on the undersea cables. They carry more than $10 trillion daily in global business and more than 95 percent of daily communications.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/62550-us-worried-russia-cut-undersea-internet-cables.html

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Jeez!!! Why cut them? Hack into them instead.

 

[davislane1]

Jeez!!! Why cut them? Hack into them instead.

You cut the civil cables to disrupt the adversary's economy and business information channels. You cut the military cables to disable their high-speed intelligence and comms networks. It's the difference between seeing what your enemy see's and blinding them in one eye. Depth perception and field of view being critical in battle, it's a sound play.

 

[RustyTech]

There is an old expression that I think can be improved upon:
There are 3 certainties in life - death, taxes, and the unrelenting hatred of the Russians. Of these 3 we can always be certain.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

You cut the civil cables to disrupt the adversary's economy and business information channels. You cut the military cables to disable their high-speed intelligence and comms networks. It's the difference between seeing what your enemy see's and blinding them in one eye. Depth perception and field of view being critical in battle, it's a sound play.

I know but I'm speaking from a personal point of view. I know how it all works, I was in the military for quite a while. I'm not interested in all of that gumf of crippling, severing and blinding the enemy, it's the 10 trillion bucks that I'm most after.

 

[TomSEA]

Duh. This is news? Everyone knows how valuable those cables are and what the impact would be if they were lost. Of course they would be a viable military target just like any other infrastructure like power stations, dams, etc. Same thing with satellites.

 

[tonylukac]

Seems like very bad intel. How would they spy on us then?

 

[Evernessince]

If Russia were really desperate, it would cut the cables. Of course cutting them would mean severe backlash from whichever country that cable connected to. In the Pacific that would be Japan and China. Russia cannot, economically, afford to upset China. Hell, Russia cannot afford to push yet another nation into the NATO alliance.

At this point in time cutting the cables would likely hurt Russia more than help. Not only do they piss someone off but they likely reduce their own capacity to hack.

 

[Camikazi]

Am I the only one who questions the use of the phrase "spy ship" when said ship was being spied on? Not only was it being spied it but they know what it can do and what it carries.

 

[infiltrator]

I had gone 2 days with no internet access in my entire city, just because some core router failed at one of the major ISPs... I was pretty bored and irritated because there was no internet.

Now if one of this undersea cables got cut out, it could severely affect not just the USA but other countries as well. Image half of the world without Internet access? No Facebook, no Youtube, No twitter and you get the picture.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Just because a cable at sea is cut doesn't mean you won't be able to connect. There would still be Internet just not International.

 

[VitalyT]

If Russia were really desperate, it would cut the cables.

It wouldn't be desperation, it's just politics.

 

[umbala]

Am I the only one who questions the use of the phrase "spy ship" when said ship was being spied on? Not only was it being spied it but they know what it can do and what it carries.

Wow, really? Of all the ridiculous responses to this article, this is probably the dumbest. The Russian "spy" ship was "spied" on by the Americans because it deliberately came up against the border to poke around. This is like if a suspicious person was circling my house and leaning in to spy on my property and then you call me a "spy" because I broke out my binoculars to see what the guy was doing.

 

[wizardB]

I had gone 2 days with no internet access in my entire city, just because some core router failed at one of the major ISPs... I was pretty bored and irritated because there was no internet.

Now if one of this undersea cables got cut out, it could severely affect not just the USA but other countries as well. Image half of the world without Internet access? No Facebook, no Youtube, No twitter and you get the picture.

What lovely idea people might have to I don't know talk or interact in person....imagine that.

 

[infiltrator]

I had gone 2 days with no internet access in my entire city, just because some core router failed at one of the major ISPs... I was pretty bored and irritated because there was no internet.

Now if one of this undersea cables got cut out, it could severely affect not just the USA but other countries as well. Image half of the world without Internet access? No Facebook, no Youtube, No twitter and you get the picture.

What lovely idea people might have to I don't know talk or interact in person....imagine that.

That's the problem that we are facing nowadays. More and more people are disconnecting themselves from others. They can't hold a conversation, or even stay two seconds without ****ing around with their phones. Its really bad.....

 

[yeeeeman]

This is how media in the USA washes people's brains and makes them think Russia is an evil power. Just try to think out of you box for a second people of USA. Most of these BS said by NATO and USA forces and just excuses for their own actions. So please, look at what USA has done to their own people and try to judge objectively. I don't try to say that Russia is a saint, but USA is thirsty for power, for money, for what Russia wants. And they find these stupid excuses that "Russia is bad, Russia wants to do something evil, we must stop them". BS. Just stay in your country and mind you own business and everything's gonna be alright.

 

[Adhmuz]

Image half of the world without Internet access? No Facebook, no Youtube, No twitter and you get the picture.

It Would be F'ing Bliss. People would be forced to wake the BLANK up and interact with other humans on a face to face level. I certainly get the picture, besides loosing my precious Techspot, the idea of a world without Facebook, Twitter and Youtube tickles my fancy very much so. Crap, I wouldn't of ever expected myself to say this but, Go Russia Go! Cut that anti-social life line of the masses.

 

[Ziffel]

FUD. The media loves stories like this, to continue to give fuel to the unrelenting fear machine.

If war breaks out between the U.S. and Russia, internet cables will be the least of our worries.

 

[Rocco Rizzo]

This seems like FUD to me. If one or two cables are cut, it may just take longer for data to get across the Internet. It was designed to take a hit, and keep functioning. The original reason why DARPA created it, was so that missile bases could still communicate if several were taken out. Besides, there are so many cables there HAS to be built in redundancy. Then again, what about satellite communications?

 

[archiTex]

This is how media in the USA washes people's brains and makes them think Russia is an evil power. Just try to think out of you box for a second people of USA. Most of these BS said by NATO and USA forces and just excuses for their own actions. So please, look at what USA has done to their own people and try to judge objectively. I don't try to say that Russia is a saint, but USA is thirsty for power, for money, for what Russia wants. And they find these stupid excuses that "Russia is bad, Russia wants to do something evil, we must stop them". BS. Just stay in your country and mind you own business and everything's gonna be alright.

Good points. How many times has Russia invaded the West in the last 300 years - none. Napoleon (France) invaded Russia in the early 1800's and then Germany twice in the last 100 years. There's a lot of elderly Russians who still remember lost parents and relatives from being invaded in WW2. It's no wonder they held onto Poland, Hungary and others to provide a buffer against the West.

Frankly, Putin makes a lot of sense in his approach to the Middle East. The US and NATO have helped destabilize governments and create the terrible situation that exists there now. We've made some grievous foreign policy mistakes.

 

[Hasbean]

Frankly, Putin makes a lot of sense in his approach to the Middle East. The US and NATO have helped destabilize governments and create the terrible situation that exists there now. We've made some grievous foreign policy mistakes.

It's not a mistake in foreign policy, it's exactly as intended by the Zionist masters that control most, if not all, foreign and domestic policies across the globe.

 

[Mama Luigi]

Frankly, Putin makes a lot of sense in his approach to the Middle East. The US and NATO have helped destabilize governments and create the terrible situation that exists there now. We've made some grievous foreign policy mistakes.

It's not a mistake in foreign policy, it's exactly as intended by the Zionist masters that control most, if not all, foreign and domestic policies across the globe.

Your statement is so blatantly anti-Semitic that it reminded me of a Nazi propaganda poster I saw in a holocaust museum, so, hello Hitler!
[IMAGE]http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/photo/lc/image/17/17401a.jpg[/IMAGE]

 

[Obliterator]

The US always looking to keep conflicts alive, seen ghosts and enemies everywhere. They are the real agressors and government destroyers, and they dare to point to anyone as an enemy, why god why???

 

[cliffordcooley]

The US always looking to keep conflicts alive, seen ghosts and enemies everywhere. They are the real aggressors

You are absolutely correct. Our leaders are arrogant and the rest of us are ignorant because we are purposely left in the dark.

 

[Hasbean]

Good points. How many times has Russia invaded the West in the last 300 years - none. Napoleon (France) invaded Russia in the early 1800's and then Germany twice in the last 100 years. There's a lot of elderly Russians who still remember lost parents and relatives from being invaded in WW2. It's no wonder they held onto Poland, Hungary and others to provide a buffer against the West.

Frankly, Putin makes a lot of sense in his approach to the Middle East. The US and NATO have helped destabilize governments and create the terrible situation that exists there now. We've made some grievous foreign policy mistakes.

Your statement is so blatantly anti-Semitic that it reminded me of a Nazi propaganda poster I saw in a holocaust museum, so, hello Hitler!
[IMAGE]http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/photo/lc/image/17/17401a.jpg[/IMAGE]

Do some research. You may find that the Zionism is nothing to do with the Semitic people.