China is waging gray-zone warfare against subsea cables connecting the United States to critical allies and partners like the Philippines and Taiwan. These digital lifelines carry more than 99 percent of intercontinental data traffic and are essential to allied communications and crisis coordination. Recent Chinese vessel activity near cable routes off Batanes, PH and over the Pacific Light Cable Network underscores cable vulnerability and the need for allied action. This event will mark the launch of Digital Lifelines, a new CNAS documentary short examining these threats and how governments can strengthen monitoring, response, and resilience.

Join the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET for the documentary short launch and a discussion on protecting subsea cables in the Indo-Pacific. The panel will feature His Excellency Jose Manuel Romualdez, ambassador of the Philippines to the United States; Andrea Yang, deputy representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States; Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer of CNAS; and Ryan Claffey, research assistant with the CNAS Indo-Pacific Security Program.

Live viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions during the event.