The Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure | Ocean Geopolitics Centre


 

The Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure

Ocean Geopolitics Centre Working Paper No. 003

The Ocean Geopolitics Centre is pleased to announce the publication of Working Paper No. 003, entitled The Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure: How Critical Seabed Systems Are Reshaping Global Power.

The publication examines one of the least visible yet most strategically important transformations taking place in international affairs. Beneath the world's oceans lies an extensive network of submarine communication cables, offshore energy installations, electricity interconnectors, pipelines, seabed sensors and emerging underwater technologies that collectively sustain the functioning of the global economy.

While maritime geopolitics has traditionally focused on naval power and the control of sea lines of communication, this Working Paper argues that contemporary geopolitical competition increasingly depends upon the resilience, governance and protection of these interconnected undersea systems.

The paper introduces the concept of the Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure, proposing a new analytical framework within Ocean Geopolitics for understanding how critical seabed infrastructure is reshaping the distribution of power in the twenty-first century.

Rather than viewing the oceans solely as spaces for navigation, the paper demonstrates that they have become integrated strategic environments where technology, infrastructure, security, economics and governance interact continuously. It explores the evolution of critical undersea infrastructure, examines its vulnerability to hybrid threats and infrastructure warfare, and considers its implications for strategic sovereignty and international maritime governance.

This publication forms part of the Ocean Geopolitics Centre's ongoing research programme dedicated to advancing Ocean Geopolitics as an emerging multidisciplinary field of strategic studies.

Main Themes

  • Ocean Geopolitics
  • Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure
  • Critical Seabed Systems
  • Submarine Communication Cables
  • Infrastructure Resilience
  • Hybrid Threats
  • Strategic Sovereignty
  • Maritime Governance
  • International Security

Publication Details

Ocean Geopolitics Centre Working Paper No. 003
Author: Artur Victoria
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21452601

The complete Working Paper is freely available through Zenodo and contributes to the Ocean Geopolitics Centre's Working Paper Series, which explores the changing geopolitical significance of the oceans and their role in the evolving architecture of global power.

Keywords: Ocean Geopolitics, Undersea Infrastructure, Maritime Security, Strategic Geography, Critical Seabed Systems, Strategic Sovereignty, Ocean Governance, Hybrid Threats, Blue Economy, Maritime Strategy.

Ocean Geopolitics Centre Working Paper Series

  • Working Paper No. 001 – Ocean Geopolitics
  • Working Paper No. 002 – Ocean Geopolitics as a New Multidisciplinary Discipline
  • Working Paper No. 003 – The Strategic Geography of Undersea Infrastructure

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