Asia's Leading Platform for 
Critical Underwater Infrastructure Protection 
25 - 26 February 2027 l Singapore

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Subsea Security & Defence: Masterclass

Subsea Security & Defence 2027

Subsea Security & Defence: Main Conference Subsea Security & Defence: Masterclass
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9:00 am - 9:30 am Morning Refreshments & Registration

9:30 am - 9:35 am Welcome Address by Subsea Security & Defence 2027

9:35 am - 9:40 am Opening Remarks by Chairperson

9:40 am - 10:20 am Developing a National Blueprint for Protecting Critical Underwater Infrastructure

• Understanding how governments can identify, prioritise and classify critical underwater assets— including subsea cables, pipelines, offshore energy infrastructure and military installations—to strengthen national resilience. 

• Examining governance models that clearly define the roles of defence agencies, maritime authorities, regulators and private infrastructure owners in protecting these assets. 
• Exploring international best practices for developing long-term protection strategies that balance operational readiness, investment priorities and evolving security threats. 

10:20 am - 10:50 am Interactive Roundtable

How should APAC governments prioritise the protection of critical underwater infrastructure, and what 

policies or governance changes are needed over the next decade?

10:50 am - 11:20 am Industry Thought Leadership

11:20 am - 11:50 am Morning Break & Refreshments

11:50 am - 12:30 pm Securing Subsea Lifelines: Strengthening ASEAN–EU Cooperation on Undersea Cable Resilience and Security

Barbora Valockova - Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Mae Chow - Research Assistant, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

• Cross-regional cooperation models (EU Cable Security Action Plan meeting ASEAN's Enhanced Guidelines 

on Submarine Cable Resilience). 
• Harmonizing Repair & Protection Mandates: Regulatory frameworks for streamlined repair permitting 
and coordinated maritime monitoring in contested waters like the South China Sea. 
• Moving beyond military alliances: How middle powers manage infrastructure security through 
institutional diplomacy.

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Barbora Valockova

Research Fellow
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
See Bio
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Mae Chow

Research Assistant
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
See Bio

12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Industry Thought Leadership

1:00 pm - 1:40 pm The Undersea Repair Race: Navigating Robotic Limits and Streamlining Restoration Timelines

Asha Hemrajani - Senior Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

• The Reality of Maritime Automation: A sober look at the strict geographical and regulatory limits of deploying UUVs in busy littoral zones. 

• Slashing Repair Timelines: Streamlining the logistical pipeline (customs clearance, joint naval escorts, and engineering mobilization) during a network blackout. 
• Targeted Protection: How to identify and prioritize the exact physical segments of a cable path that require active, localized monitoring. 

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Asha Hemrajani

Senior Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
See Bio

1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Interactive Roundtable

Which technologies and capabilities should organisations prioritise over the next five to ten years, and how 

can investment decisions deliver measurable improvements in resilience?

2:10 pm - 3:10 pm Lunch Break

3:10 pm - 3:50 pm Jurisdictional Overreach: Balancing Domestic Security Laws, UNCLOS Gaps, and Grey-Zone Seabed Espionage

Adrian Ang U-Jin - Research Fellow and Coordinator of US Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

• Closing the UNCLOS Exploitation Gap: Analyzing how adversaries leverage international freedom-of navigation rules to conduct "dual-use" hydrographic surveys as covert reconnaissance for subsea cable interdiction.  

• Harmonizing Regional Security Legislation: Establishing aligned domestic critical infrastructure laws across regional allies to legally restrict and penalize unauthorized seabed mapping in sensitive littoral waters. 
• Mitigating Asymmetric & Civilian-Disguised Escalation: Developing clear, standardized protocols to intercept, inspect, and de-escalate confrontations with non-military research vessels caught hovering over critical cable landings. 

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Adrian Ang U-Jin

Research Fellow and Coordinator of US Programme
Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
See Bio

3:50 pm - 4:20 pm Interactive Roundtable

What practical initiatives should be prioritised to strengthen regional collaboration, improve trust between 

stakeholders and build a more resilient underwater security ecosystem across APAC? 

4:20 pm - 4:30 pm Closing Remarks by Chairperson

4:30 pm - 4:30 pm End of Masterclass and Subsea Security & Defense 2027

In Partnership With:

Defence IQ IDGA Defence IQ

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