The Technology War You Don’t Know About - Declan Ganley

The Vulnerabilities of the Internet Infrastructure

Declan Ganley begins by describing the fragile architecture underlying today's global communications: approximately 500 submarine cables (subc cables) that serve as the arteries of the internet. These cables carry the vast majority of global internet traffic and hold critical importance to everything from banking and groceries to government communication and national security. Ganley highlights that these cables are incredibly vulnerable; with roughly $60 million and simple means, even non-state actors could disrupt the global internet by severing these cables. The scarcity of cable repair ships further exacerbates this vulnerability, meaning any disruption could take months or even years to rectify, plunging modern society into chaos.

Such fragility in communications infrastructure threatens the fabric of global stability because it makes modern society highly dependent on a handful of physical chokepoints. Ganley warns that this exposes the West to significant risk, especially in the face of a rising Chinese strategic push to dominate technology and cyber communications.

Building the Outernet

Responding to this vulnerability, Ganley is driving the development of the Outernet—a laser-based mesh network of approximately 600 satellites in low Earth polar orbit. Unlike existing satellite networks such as Starlink, which rely on internet-connected ground gateways, the Outernet's satellites communicate directly with each other via laser links, creating a closed, self-contained data routing system. This bypasses traditional internet infrastructure, thereby eliminating reliance on the vulnerable submarine cables and ground-based gateways.

Designed for ultra-low latency, maximum speed, and groundbreaking cybersecurity, the Outernet's architecture allows true end-to-end data sovereignty and makes cyberattacks dramatically more difficult. Ganley highlights that with no reliance on land-based infrastructure, this communications network is resilient to interference, surveillance, or disruption by hostile actors. The technology also serves critical military and commercial applications such as secure government messaging, financial trading, and rapid communication with fast-moving objects, including hypersonic missiles.

China's Hostile Activities

Ganley's journey with the Outernet has been far from smooth, characterized by a shadowy struggle against Chinese interference. He details a hostile takeover attempt by Chinese interests to seize control of the German company originally developing the satellite technology. Allying with a team of German engineers, Ganley mounted a counter-operation to wrest back control, firing the Chinese directors and rescuing the project.

His fight extended into extensive legal battles: he reveals his company has faced 157 lawsuits across countries including Liechtenstein, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, and the United States. This tactic, known as lawfare, exploits the legal systems of Western nations to burden and destabilize adversaries through frivolous, repeated litigation. Ganley explains that lawfare is an officially recognized part of the People's Liberation Army of China's military doctrine—targeting Western technological leadership using endless legal attacks, designed not necessarily to win cases, but to financially and mentally exhaust opponents.

Ganley describes lawfare as a form of warfare that Western nations have not yet adequately recognized or responded to, leaving entrepreneurs and innovators vulnerable to sustained multimillion-dollar legal campaigns with limited governmental support.

The Threat of Kinetic Warfare

Ganley pulls no punches when discussing China's broader ambitions and the looming risks to global stability. He expresses grave concern over a "major event" on the horizon: kinetic war over Taiwan. He predicts that if China fails to secure Taiwan by diplomacy, military confrontation is inevitable. He warns that in such a conflict, China would likely sever global internet connections by cutting submarine cables, exploiting the world's dependence on vulnerable infrastructure to sow chaos far beyond the battlefield.

In a world suddenly offline, Ganley argues, public attention would shrivel to immediate survival concerns—food, communication, and safety—delaying or even preventing effective coordinated responses to geopolitical crises like Taiwan's fall. Such events would redefine modern warfare and geopolitical power dramatically.

The Coming Quantum Singularity

Turning to the future, Ganley discusses the impending "quantum singularity moment," where quantum computers will become powerful enough to decrypt all existing forms of encrypted communication in seconds. This breakthrough signals the obsolescence of current cybersecurity methods, demanding entirely new approaches to data security and communications privacy.

Ganley highlights that artificial intelligence combined with vast archives of stored internet traffic—much of which is already collected passively—will be able to uncover and analyze private conversations, state secrets, and sensitive data indiscriminately.

Only by controlling data sovereignty—owning, managing, and protecting data directly—is communication security possible in this new era. Ganley contends that the Outernet's closed structure and novel approach will be vital in countering the vulnerabilities of conventional internet and preparing for the quantum future.

The Broader Political Landscape

Ganley's story is entwined with his broader political journey and personal background. He explains his roots as an Irish entrepreneur and federalist who fought against the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland to protect national sovereignty. His political activism arose from concern that centralized, distant European governance eroded democratic control and imposed damaging top-down policies disconnected from local values.

His reflections extend into Western societies' chronic risk aversion, cultural malaise, and demographic decline with young people delaying or avoiding life commitments such as marriage and family. He sees this risk aversion mirrored in political elites and economic systems, contributing to a broader civilizational crisis requiring personal and cultural renewal at the grassroots. Planning laws, housing crises, and immigration policies further compound societal stresses, threatening social cohesion and national integrity.

Ganley stresses that change cannot merely come from governments or institutions but must originate from individuals embracing boldness, responsibility, and sacrifice for family and community—the foundational pillars in his view.