New Aukus drone subs to protect critical undersea cables as Marles warns: ‘seabed is a battlefield’

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The Australia, UK, and US Aukus partnership announced development of new underwater drone technology to secure critical undersea cables amid concerns over seabed territorial competition. Defence Minister Richard Marles stated the seabed is a battlefield, highlighting geopolitical tensions with China and the need for greater transparency in maritime operations.

Minister at Singapore defence summit also reveals Australia to buy only secondhand Aukus submarines from US Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The defence minister, Richard Marles, has said the “seabed is a battlefield” in a combative speech urging Beijing to be more transparent about its maritime operations, and taking aim at weak international controls over so-called “shadow-fleet” vessels. The warning came as the US, UK and Australia announced a new Aukus project to develop new underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables. Continue reading...