Signal
In December 2025, China simulated the use of 2,000 drones to sever Starlink access over Taiwan, demonstrating the ability to blind satellite networks through coordinated electronic and kinetic interference. In parallel, a German firm unveiled a shark-shaped underwater robot to guard 800,000 miles of global subsea cables, underscoring the vulnerability of cloud infrastructure sitting on the ocean floor. These systems are often invisible, assumed resilient, and yet snap over 100 times a year, creating choke points for data, power, and command continuity.
Why it matters
Digital sovereignty depends on layers too often ignored: subsea cable routes, network redundancy, and contested electromagnetic access. Taiwan sits at a triple fault line: cable convergence, satellite dependence, and drone escalation risk. China's simulation is not just tactical, it is a systems-level warning. Meanwhile, efforts like Germany’s robotic sentries show how allied states are beginning to adapt infrastructure defence for the age of grey zone competition.
Strategic takeaway
Resilience now requires territorial defence beneath and beyond borders—from the seabed to low Earth orbit. Autonomy, continuity, and deterrence all hinge on protecting the invisible arteries of the Sixth Field.
Investor Implications
Surveillance robotics, subsea cable security, and drone countermeasures are shifting from niche to core infrastructure. Investors should track firms developing unmanned maritime surveillance, drone defence integration, and software-defined networking redundancy. Builders securing underwater infrastructure and electromagnetic spectrum continuity, such as subsea robot makers and adaptive routing firms, may see rising dual-use demand. The new security stack starts at sea level and dives deep.
Watchpoints
Jan 2026 → Taiwan Strait tensions expected to spike around local elections; monitor PLA drills.
Q1 2026 → EU cyber infrastructure directive revision includes subsea cable sovereignty clauses.
4–6 March 2026 → Subsea Connect Expo, Marseille: expected announcements on cable security technologies.
Tactical Lexicon: Signal Sovereignty
The ability to control, defend, and restore digital flows across contested electromagnetic and physical routes.
Why it matters:
Determines whether a nation remains connected during conflict or coercion.
Forces rethink of deterrence across drones, cables, and satellites.
Sources: scmp.com
The signal is the high ground. Hold it.
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