Cyber, space, sea threats require new rules, more cooperation: New Zealand, France, Finland

SINGAPORE – The evolving nature of warfare, including challenges in cyberspace, outer space and undersea infrastructure, demands that countries work together to set new rules and coordinate their responses, said defence ministers from New Zealand, France and Finland at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 31.

Speaking during a plenary session on these frontier domains, the ministers said these areas are increasingly contested and blurred between military and civilian uses, making them vulnerable to misuse.

They emphasised how closer cooperation and updated rules are more crucial than ever, to ensure that those who do not respect international norms cannot destabilise regional and global security.

New Zealand’s Minister of Defence Judith Collins noted that cyber intrusions are now “an ever-present threat”, and that, like for many other countries, its growing connectivity in devices and networks and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) have made defence of its cyberspace more complex.

The response to increasing contestation in the space, cyberspace and undersea domains has to be centred on an effective and robust system of international agreements, rules and norms of behaviour, said Ms Collins.

On its own, New Zealand has made it a point to identify perpetrators behind major attacks on its cyberspace wherever possible, so that there is greater transparency and accountability on who is behind such attacks, she added.

French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, who spoke at the same session, echoed the importance of pinpointing and attributing the origin of cyber attacks.

He noted that while domains such as cyberspace are today key to economic development and sovereignty, international law governing them is either ineffective or still nascent.

“If I had to summarise our dilemma today, you can be defeated without being invaded, and you can lose the war without ever having been at war,” he said.

“So that’s really a brutal, new strategic deal compared with the situation we used to know.”

He said that “pioneer countries” must lead efforts to create clearer rules, even if some major powers are reluctant to participate.

“We should not give up the ambition to regulate,” he added, stressing that nations working together can overcome gaps in international law and deter provocations.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said during the discussion that defence challenges in domains such as cyber and undersea infrastructure are examples of the interconnected nature of today’s world, and how threats have become more diverse.

But Finland’s example shows that such threats can be successfully countered, he added.

For instance, Finland taps resources of the state, but also private industry and its research community, to ensure a whole-of-nation approach to cyber security.

Sensors and other new technologies have also made it easier to detect bad actors who may attempt to sabotage undersea cables or breach computer networks, added Mr Hakkanen, who said countries should not only identify attackers, but also put in place “clear deterrence lines” to dissuade attacks.

Establishing clear thresholds – that if breached could lead to retaliation – would benefit all parties, including potential adversaries, by discouraging cyber operations, he said.

Their remarks built on discussions at an earlier plenary session on managing proliferation risks in the Asia-Pacific, where Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans warned that technology is evolving faster than rules and ethics can keep up.

He cited the risk of AI battlefield algorithms misreading intent, and military command systems being hacked or deceived.

Countries can choose to let technological progress outpace responsibility, or rise to the challenge to innovate, regulate and safeguard it, said Mr Brekelmans.

The Netherlands chose the latter option, which was why in 2023, it organised the first global summit on responsible artificial intelligence in the military domain, which took place at The Hague, he noted.

“I would encourage as many countries as possible to also participate in this, and to make sure that we make further progress on these international norms in these new domains that are evolving so quickly,” he added.