Some United States Military officials are uneasy about increased activity from Russian ships near undersea data cables, according to the New York Times.
The primary concern is that a Russian submarine could cut those cables and disrupt communications relied upon by the government, the economy and the public.
According to the report, the activity levels are near what was seen during the Cold War. One Russian ship was monitored along the U.S. Eastern coast and near a landing point for a major data cable.
As the report points out, data cables are damaged often by ships, severe weather and other common occurrences. But a submersible could cut a cable at a deeper depth and further from shore, where monitoring is more difficult and repairs could take much longer to complete.