At the Shangri-La Dialogue (May 29-31 in Singapore), UK Defense Secretary John
Healey said the UK will work with the United States and Australia under the
trilateral security partnership to jointly develop new weapons for unmanned
submersibles. The UK will allocate £150m (about $200m) to the project. The
announcement builds on the 2021 AUKUS pact, under which the US and UK agreed to
help Australia build nuclear-powered submarines—a move that has prompted
regional concern; the IAEA warned it could set a dangerous precedent and trigger
a chain reaction.
