Bermuda’s undersea fibre-optic link to the US?was listed as part of America’s critical infrastructure and key resources abroad, according to a confidential cable.

The Island’s cable link to New Jersey, owned by Brasil Telecom, was mentioned in a leaked internal US?State Department cable and is the second of 68 cables released through Wikileaks that reference Bermuda to have come to light.

On February 18, 2009, the US?Secretary of State asked ambassadors to update a list of critical infrastructure and key resources abroad.

The cable stated: “Under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) was written to provide the unifying structure for the integration of critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR) protection into a single national programme.

“The overarching goal of the NIPP is to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by enhancing protection of the nation’s CI/KR to prevent, deter, neutralize or mitigate the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate or exploit them; and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery in the event of an attack, natural disaster or other emergency.

“In addition to a list of critical domestic CI/KR, the NIPP requires compilation and annual update of a comprehensive inventory of CI/KR that are located outside U.S. borders and whose loss could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States. DHS in collaboration with State developed the Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative to identify these critical U.S. foreign dependencies — foreign CI/KR that may affect systems within the US directly or indirectly.”

Key resources were are defined as publicly or privately controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the economy and government in the cable.

It went on to state:?“Department is surveying posts for their input on critical infrastructure and key resources within their host country which, if destroyed, disrupted or exploited, would likely have an immediate and deleterious effect on the United States. We expect posts, after consultation among all sections and agencies, will in many instances immediately recognise whether such CI/KR exist in their host country. Posts are not/not being asked to consult with host governments with respect to this request.”

The 2008 list went on to name mines in the Congo, insulin and small pox vaccine manufacturers in Denmark, chemical plants in Germany and undersea cables around the world including “Bermuda’s GlobeNet, formerly Bermuda US-1, undersea cable landing Devonshire, Bermuda”.