A bipartisan quartet of senators, alarmed by news reports that Russian submarines and spy ships are shadowing the undersea cables that connect the United States with the world, want administration officials to explain their plans to protect them.
“Given the significant impact an attack could have on our economic stability, and cyber, energy, and national security, we write to ensure there is an effective effort between the Department of Defense and other U.S. government agencies to secure our nation,” the senators wrote in a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
The letter was signed by Republicans Joni Ernst of Iowa, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, along with Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
A congressional source told the Washington Examiner that Wicker, who had sent an earlier letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, has tentatively scheduled a Nov. 18 briefing on the issue for members of his Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee by officials from the Navy and other agencies. The source said lawmakers are likely to focus on Russia’s ability to either cut or tap into undersea cables and what plans U.S. officials have to prevent that.
Concerns about securing vital fiber-optic cables that carry nearly all global telecommunications have risen since the New York Times revealed Oct. 25 that Russian submarines and spy ships were aggressively operating near them, causing U.S. and allied military and intelligence officials to worry that Moscow was considering severing them in the event of a crisis.
Such a move could not only cripple international commerce, but also hurt the U.S. military’s ability to operate globally.
