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

Australia's defense minister Richard Marles warned that the 'seabed is a battlefield' and urged Beijing to increase transparency in maritime operations. The US, UK, and Australia announced a new AUKUS project to develop underwater drone technology for protecting undersea cables, with Australia set to purchase secondhand Aukus submarines from the US.