The AUKUS alliance has recently conducted a series of military exercises off the coast of southern California to test new autonomous underwater and surface military technologies and to enhance interoperability among the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The exercises, known as Maritime Big Play, took place over three weeks and focused on advancing autonomous systems within AUKUS Pillar II, which emphasizes undersea capabilities.

Australian-developed autonomous platforms featured prominently during the exercises, including the Speartooth, an unmanned underwater vessel designed to carry various payloads, and the BlueBottle, an autonomous surface vessel capable of remaining at sea for extended periods while using sonar to detect submarines. Also showcased was a commercial variant of the Ghost Shark underwater vehicle, although it did not participate directly in the drills. The Ghost Shark, according to Australian Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, is capable of deploying advanced payloads such as swarms of kamikaze drones and undersea mines, signifying a significant enhancement in lethality.

Senior officials from the three member countries highlighted the strategic importance of these technological advancements. Britain’s chief AUKUS adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove, described the exercise as a prime example of what the partnership is achieving, while the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Critical Technologies, Mike Dodd, said the capabilities being developed were intended to unsettle potential adversaries. Dodd specifically pointed to concerns among China and Russia regarding the alliance’s progress, stating that these rivals were “losing sleep” over the new autonomous military technologies.

Maritime Big Play represents the first initiative under a major restructuring of AUKUS Pillar II, which seeks to accelerate the deployment of practical military systems rather than focus solely on early-stage technology development. Mike Dodd explained that the previous approach, which involved numerous working groups covering a broad range of cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and hypersonics, had limited engagement from armed services and was not sufficiently outcome-driven. The revamped approach aims to identify areas where joint development can achieve operational advantages more effectively than individual nation efforts.

Key objectives include developing standardized interfaces that allow payloads to be deployed across the autonomous platforms used by all three nations. Gerard Tighe, the U.S. lead for the Maritime Big Play project, emphasized the importance of interoperability. Australian lead Captain Sam Woolrych highlighted efforts to improve communications and networks so that systems could adopt a "plug and fight" model, allowing rapid integration of capabilities.

The exercises tested autonomous military technologies across four mission scenarios: resupplying contested islands, detecting submarines and underwater drones, engaging targets, and conducting seabed warfare operations. The drills brought together military personnel, technical experts, and industry representatives from all three countries to evaluate and refine the systems under realistic conditions.

Sir Stephen noted findings from AUKUS reviews that Pillar II has considerable promise but requires a more focused, programmatic approach to ensure tangible results. He remarked that the evolving battlefield increasingly favors autonomous systems that are cost-effective, capable of mass deployment, and able to perform tasks beyond the capacity of manned platforms. The Royal Navy, for example, has shifted toward a hybrid force structure with greater reliance on autonomous platforms.

David Nockels, Australia’s First Assistant Secretary for Defence Trade, Regulation and AUKUS Advanced Capabilities, attributed part of the accelerated technology development to relaxed defence export licensing requirements among the three nations, facilitating closer collaboration within the alliance’s defence industry sectors.

Overall, the Maritime Big Play exercises demonstrate AUKUS’s commitment to rapid innovation and closer integration in autonomous warfare capabilities under Pillar II, with the aim of maintaining strategic advantage in undersea operations.