The activity formed part of AUKUS Pillar II Undersea Warfare Capability Development and was conducted within Exercise Talisman Sabre 25. Personnel from the Royal Navy’s Mine Warfare Battlestaff, Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, and Diving and Threat Exploitation Group worked alongside US and Australian counterparts to explore the use of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and remotely operated systems for seabed defence.
Building on previous seabed warfare events under AUKUS, the trials marked a step forward in trilateral integration, improving shared understanding and refining tactics, techniques and procedures to counter evolving underwater threats.
Operating from the Australian Defence Vessel Guidance during the two-week exercise, the multinational teams faced challenging southern hemisphere winter conditions. The scenario-driven event was divided into phases to replicate operational pressures and deliver measurable milestones.
Key achievements included the first instance of a battlestaff conducting seabed warfare command and control of a trilateral group at sea, the deployment of autonomous underwater drones, and the successful execution of more than 17 joint remotely operated vehicle missions.
Strategic Importance of Subsea Security
The protection of underwater infrastructure has become a growing priority for NATO and its partners. Undersea cables carry over 95% of global communications, while energy pipelines and offshore facilities form critical supply routes for international economies. These assets are increasingly vulnerable to sabotage, espionage, and hybrid threats.
By advancing the use of autonomous and uncrewed systems, AUKUS partners are seeking to enhance resilience and ensure freedom of action in the undersea domain — an area that is now recognised as central to future maritime security.
Source: Royal Navy
