AUKUS Allies to Deploy Advanced Undersea Drones as Part of Expanded Defense Pact

Britain, the United States and Australia confirmed a defence pact that will deliver unmanned drones equipped with advanced sensors and weapons systems to protect undersea cables and pipelines. Defence Secretary John Healey announced the initiative under the AUKUS alliance.

" Submarine communication links form the backbone of Britain's digital infrastructure, carrying internet connectivity, telephone calls, instant messaging and social media platforms.

4 trillion every day. A parliamentary committee issued a warning late last year that the UK must prepare for the possibility that cables can be threatened in the event of a security crisis. MPs and peers stated that Putin has shown every sign of wanting to test the soft underbelly of the Nato alliance and that cables are sufficiently vulnerable to make them a target.

Concerns increased in April when Healey disclosed that a Royal Navy vessel and RAF maritime patrol aircraft tracked Russian submarines conducting reconnaissance of underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic. British forces monitored a Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered submarine and two deep-sea vessels belonging to Russia's directorate for deep-sea research for over a month before the craft departed the area.

Healey indicated that AUKUS innovations would extend beyond the Indo-Pacific, benefiting security operations in the Atlantic and the High North.

The pact has primarily concentrated on supplying Australia with nuclear-powered submarines and establishing facilities for American and British vessels operating in the Indo-Pacific. In a separate development, the allies confirmed that Australia would now receive only previously operational nuclear-powered submarines from the United States as part of efforts to simplify the AUKUS arrangement.