New Aukus drone tech to protect critical undersea cables as Marles warns: ‘seabed is a battlefield’
Marles warned that undersea infrastructure is increasingly exposed to attack as the US, UK and Australia launched a new Aukus drone-tech project.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
At a Singapore defence summit, Richard Marles argued that subsea infrastructure is now a security front line and pressed China for greater maritime transparency. The US, UK and Australia also unveiled a new Aukus project to build underwater drone technology to defend critical cables.
Richard Marles is warning that the ocean floor is not just mud and rocks anymore. It is also like a hidden road network, because internet cables and other important lines run there.
If someone cuts those cables, it can slow down or break things like banking, hospitals, and online messages. Australia cares a lot because most of its internet uses a small number of these cables.
The three countries in Aukus are now building small underwater robot tools to help watch and protect those lines. It is a bit like putting cameras and guard dogs under the sea.
Analysis
Defence and infrastructure
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Richard Marles said the “seabed is becoming a battlefield” and argued that attacks on subsea infrastructure are happening at an unusually high pace. He said undersea internet cables are vital to modern life and warned that Australia, as an island nation, is especially exposed because so much of its connectivity depends on a small number of cables.
Aukus expands underwater
The US, UK and Australia used the summit to announce a new Aukus project focused on underwater drone technology. Pete Hegseth described it as the first “signature project” under the pact’s second pillar, while John Healey said the systems would include advanced sensors and weapons for uncrewed underwater vessels. The announcement also clarified that Australia will buy three secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the US, rather than a mix of old and new boats, in a move aimed at simplifying logistics and costs.
China, shadow fleets and regional tension
Marles urged Beijing to be more transparent about maritime operations and said current “grey zone” behaviour is not consistent with a stable regional order. He tied the cable threat to wider concerns about so-called shadow-fleet vessels, saying they can also be used for sanctions evasion, illegal fishing, and trafficking. Hegseth, for his part, said the US would not allow China to dominate the Pacific and pressed allies to spend more on defence, while avoiding a direct mention of Taiwan.
Key points
- Marles said undersea infrastructure is now exposed to attack and called the seabed a battlefield.
- The US, UK and Australia announced a new Aukus project to develop underwater drone technology.
- Australia will buy three secondhand Virginia-class submarines from the US under Aukus.
- Marles urged China to be more transparent about its maritime operations.
- The speech linked subsea cable risks to shadow-fleet ships, sanctions evasion, and other grey-zone activity.
