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

Minister at Singapore defence summit also reveals Australia to buy only secondhand Aukus submarines from USFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe 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...