Redundancy, Resiliency, and Repair: Securing Subsea Cable Infrastructure

Join the Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics and the Project for Prosperity and Development at CSIS for a public event, "Redundancy, Resiliency, and Repair: Securing Subsea Cable Infrastructure" on November 21 at 10:00 AM-11:30 AM EST.

Subsea fiber-optic cables are critical infrastructure that underpin global communications and digital transactions. With the AI revolution, increased digital connectivity, and growing threats to underwater infrastructure, the resiliency and integrity of cables is more important than ever.  CSIS is releasing a comprehensive report that analyzes the global subsea cable ecosystem along its main threats, providing a roadmap for the public and private sector, financiers, and key stakeholders to secure this important infrastructure.

The event will feature a keynote address, a presentation by Thomas Bryja, and a panel discussion with distinguished participants moderated by Erin Murphy. Speakers include Nakamura Tomohiro, Counsellor for Cyber and Digital Policy at the Embassy of Japan and Tim Stronge, Chief Research Officer at TeleGeography. 

The event will be held at CSIS headquarters and streamed virtually. Seating for the event is limited. Please RSVP via the registration link provided.

This event is made possible by the support of the Smith Richardson Foundation.

Bios for External Speakers:

Tomohiro Nakamura serves as Counsellor for Cyber and Digital Policy at the Embassy of Japan. Before his current posting, he served as Director at Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, where he was responsible for platform regulation and cybersecurity policy, and also worked as Secretary to the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. He was previously assigned to the Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva, where he worked on WTO e-commerce (JSI) negotiations. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Tim Stronge is Chief Research Officer at TeleGeography. His areas of expertise include submarine cable networks, IP backbones, and international voice traffic. Since joining TeleGeography in 1996, Tim has served as a principal analyst in most areas of research, including network infrastructure, bandwidth demand modeling, cross-border traffic flows, and telecom services pricing.

Grace Koh is Vice President for Government Relations at Ciena, the world’s leading developer of optical networking equipment. Ms. Koh comes to Ciena with significant experience in government. She held the title of U.S. Ambassador, while serving as the U.S. Representative and Head of Delegation to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC -19). In this role, she negotiated for favorable outcomes for the United States on spectrum policy and allocation. She has also served as Special Assistant to the President for Technology, Telecom, and Cybersecurity Policy at the National Economic Council, coordinating policy and advising the White House on these matters.  Ms. Koh previously served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in the U.S. House of Representatives.  In this role, she advised the chair and committee members on policy and legal issues arising in the telecommunications and technology sectors. Ms. Koh has also worked in various positions in the private sector, including as a partner in DLA Piper LLP, an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. She also worked for Cox Enterprises as Policy Counsel, advising the company and its subsidiaries on telecom and technology policy developments in Washington, D.C. Before joining Ciena, she led the U.S. office for government relations at Nokia. Ms. Koh received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.