Australia, U.K., U.S. Forge High-Tech Agreement
From underwater drones to electronic warfare, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States are expanding high-tech military cooperation.
An agreement forged in December 2023 increases technology cooperation and information sharing. The goal is to better address global security challenges and ensure each nation can defend against rapidly evolving threats and “contribute to stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”
Meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and U.K. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the effort will, for example, rapidly accelerate the sophistication of drone systems and prove that “we are stronger together.”
The three nations have laid out plans for the AUKUS partnership to equip Australia with a fleet of eight conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Marles said that Australia, as an island nation, needs improved maritime drones and precision strike capabilities.
The U.S. has announced it will help Australia manufacture guided missiles and rockets.
The technology agreement also established a series of military exercises involving undersea and surface maritime drones and improved the ability of the three countries to share intelligence and data collected by their sonobuoys. The buoys detect submarines and other objects in the water.
The agreement calls for expanding artificial intelligence use, including on P-8A surveillance aircraft, to quickly process data from the buoys for anti-submarine warfare. The countries also will establish new radar sites to enhance the detection and tracking of objects in deep space. The Associated Press
