AUKUS Exercise Launches Uncrewed Vessels to Flex Undersea Strengths

Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have conducted an exercise under their AUKUS alliance to launch new uncrewed underwater vessels and test new equipment to protect undersea infrastructure. 

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the exercise included launching the new Australian Defence Vessel Guidance, which showcased a range of undersea warfare capabilities. The exercise, dubbed Integrated Battle Problem 23-3, also featured the autonomous underwater vehicles and support divers of the British warship HMS Tamar, which conducted drills on mine countermeasures and monitoring critical undersea infrastructures, such as subsea cables and pipelines, the DOD said.    

Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, the Royal Australian Navy’s Chief, said the exercise, held at an undisclosed location off Australia’s east coast, demonstrated AUKUS Pillar 2, which builds upon capabilities from cutting-edge military technologies. 

He added that Australia’s submarines and other military assets “will increasingly work with autonomous systems below and on the surface of the ocean to extend range and lethality.”

Parallel with AUKUS Pillar 2, the three-nation alliance’s centerpiece, Pillar 1, seeks to deliver the first SSN-AUKUS nuclear submarine to Australia in the 2030s.