w Framework to Protect Critical Underwater Infrastructure Launched at the Shangri-La Dialogue
On May 30, 17 countries launched the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defense Exchanges (GUIDE) at the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue. The GUIDE aims to enable greater international collaboration and knowledge exchange to protect critical underwater infrastructure (CUI), particularly subsea cables. The GUIDE was initiated by the Singapore Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) to serve as a voluntary, non-financially binding mechanism. Defense establishments are encouraged to explore potential areas of cooperation, including expert exchanges and inter-regional information sharing to enable early warnings.
Signatories include Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand as well as partners from Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. However, the United States and China, which oversee the largest network of subsea cables and have the most advanced maritime surveillance capabilities, are notably absent from the pact, along with other major maritime powers including Japan, India, and South Korea. The GUIDE signals growing recognition of CUI as a key national security concern among middle powers, but future endorsements by major maritime powers will be key for the GUIDE to have a more significant impact long term.
