Strategic Subsea Cables Act of 2026

This bill enhances U.S. government coordination on the security, installation, maintenance, and repair of international subsea fiber-optic cables. It establishes an interagency committee, imposes sanctions for sabotage, and requires reports on foreign activities.

Sec. 3, Definitions: Defines key terms including 'agency,' 'appropriate congressional committees,' 'appropriate Federal agencies,' 'critical undersea infrastructure' (covering both subsea telecommunications and energy infrastructure), 'interagency committee,' 'non-Federal entity,' 'sabotage' (actions intending to cause defective production, operation, or damage to critical undersea infrastructure, including data integrity), and 'subsea energy infrastructure.'

Title I, International Coordination and Engagement on Critical Undersea Infrastructure: Congress finds that sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure is a growing threat, citing specific incidents from 2022 to 2025. It expresses the sense that the U.S. should lead efforts to promote resilient networks and enhance engagement in international bodies like the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC). The Secretary of State must increase U.S. engagement in such bodies and report annually for five years. The President must impose sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or facilitating sabotage of critical undersea infrastructure, including vessels and entities involved, and report within 15 days of imposing sanctions. The Secretary of State must report within 180 days and annually for five years on the subsea cable capabilities of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, including analysis of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI) and the GRU. The Director of National Intelligence must report within 180 days assessing the likely cause and attribution of specific reported sabotage incidents. The Secretary of State must devote personnel to engage foreign countries on security and support a multinational fleet of cable repair ships, reporting annually for five years.

Title II, Department of State Critical Undersea Infrastructure Expertise: The Secretary of State must assign at least 10 full-time equivalent individuals, with at least five to the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, to support interagency engagement on critical undersea infrastructure protection. The Bureau cannot dual-hat current personnel to meet this requirement. The Secretary must notify Congress within 15 days of fulfilling the hiring requirement and submit a report within 90 days on prioritizing diplomatic engagement for information sharing on sabotage.

Title III, Subsea Telecommunications Infrastructure Coordination, Construction, and Repair: Congress finds no existing forum for effective collaboration between the subsea cable industry and the U.S. government. The President must establish an interagency committee within one year to protect and improve resilience of subsea telecommunications infrastructure, facilitate licensing and permitting, and address other matters. The President must direct the committee to conduct an overview of federal operational authorities. All appropriate agencies must issue procedures to promote timely sharing of classified and unclassified information regarding sabotage with cleared non-Federal entities, and to share information to prevent or mitigate adverse effects.