Overview
- Seventeen countries formally adopted the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges, known as GUIDE, at the Shangri‑La Dialogue on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
- GUIDE is explicitly voluntary and creates no new legal or financial obligations under international law, with participants implementing measures according to their domestic laws and policies.
- The framework sets out practical cooperation areas such as exchanging technical knowledge, points of contact, best practices and early‑warning information to boost maritime awareness and incident response.
- Defence establishments backing GUIDE signalled they could support civilian and industry efforts by providing ships, aircraft and unmanned systems for maritime surveillance and crisis response subject to national approvals.
- Protecting undersea cables matters because they carry over 95% of global internet traffic and states also rely on subsea energy links, and GUIDE aims to build cross‑regional norms and capacity where attribution and legal enforcement are difficult.