Overview

• The US, UK, and Australia have agreed to conduct joint maritime drone exercises in 2024, focusing on integrating artificial intelligence into various military systems.
• The exercises aim to enhance the capability to operate unmanned maritime systems and to share and process maritime data among the three countries.
• The new technology agreement is part of the AUKUS military alliance, which plans to equip Australia with a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines.
• The agreement also sets up a series of military exercises involving the use of undersea and surface maritime drones and improves the ability of the three countries to share intelligence and data collected by their sonobuoys.
• The enhanced cooperation between the nations has been driven by growing concerns about China’s burgeoning defense spending and rapidly expanding military presence in the region.