Defence chiefs in UK, US and Australia unveil plan to militarise the world’s oceans
Defence secretaries from the UK, US and Australia have announced a new AUKUS underwater drone programme.
UK defence chief, John Healey, said the project would provide “ground-breaking underwater capabilities”. However, the new UK’s underwater drone factory has deep links to the AI war firm, Palantir.
AUKUS is a three-nation defence programme between the two settler colonies and the UK. The alliance aims to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable”. In plain English, that means a US-dominated Indo-Pacific. The announcement was made in Singapore.
Healey said:
AUKUS is delivering for our security and for our economy. Together we are announcing ground-breaking underwater capabilities that will keep Britain safe, backing British businesses that are driving growth, and standing shoulder to shoulder with our closest allies.
This is what modern defence looks like. We’re stepping on the accelerator to develop cutting-edge tech to boost our collective deterrence and support our shared security.
Healey can be seen in this ABC video being jovial with US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, best known for his far-right politics and tattoos.
Defence, ‘Hybrid Navy’ and the new war economy
The project is meant to start delivering by 2027. It is part of the so-called “Hybrid Navy” Navy strategy.
The first capabilities are expected to be in service by 2027 and will help drive the Royal Navy’s transition to a Hybrid Navy — a more flexible, modern force that blends crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Over the weekend in Singapore, the first ever AUKUS pillar 2 signature project was announced by @JohnHealey_MP.
The project will develop, produce and deploy cutting-edge technologies carried by uncrewed underwater vessels, helping to secure the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/QRht4Y1xOO
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 1, 2026
The government press release on the new project listed three UK based suppliers:
Decision Analysis Services Ltd., an SME based in Basingstoke
SEA Ltd., a large enterprise based in Frome
A-2i, a micro-consultancy based in Dorchester, Dorset
Decision Analysis Services’ products “span Systems Thinking, Programme & Portfolio Management, Investment Modelling, Complex Systems Engineering and AI & Data Analytics”.
We apply these skills to solve our clients’ most pressing challenges, designing and delivering pioneering, enduring solutions that drive meaningful outcomes.
In short, it is a small-scale war AI firm with serious defence interests.
Helsing is a much larger one. This new kid of the drone/AI block opened a UK underwater drone factory in November 2025. The Canary previously reported this about the firm:
They’ll be making unmanned submersible ‘gliders’. Powered by AI, the SG-1 Fathom will “deliver persistent underwater surveillance, detecting enemy activity to protect our sea lanes and undersea critical national infrastructure”.
As UK NGO Drone Wars told the Canary at the time:
Helsing is a new AI-focused military corporation, funded by Spotify’s Daniel Ek, and keen to gain a slice of the UK government’s promised £5 billion spending on drones, AI and other emerging technology.
Many of Helsing’s senior staff have links to Palantir and their marketing schtick is similarly ideological.
Protecting open, democratic societies is our civic duty and collective responsibility. Increasingly, this requires the development of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence to deter and defend.
Go figure…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s strategy is to militarise the economy. He is treating war spending like it is a key driver of growth. It isn’t.
Meanwhile the UK, US and Australia are working to make the ocean into a war zone. The UK and Australia technically both have ‘centre-left’ governments. But when it comes to war and empire, you can’t get a cigarette paper between them and the Trump administration.
‘Scratch a liberal, find a fascist’, as the old saying goes.
Featured image via Kin Cheung – WPA Pool/ Getty Images
Comments 2
Leave a Reply
The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX
Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.
For guest posting, contact [email protected]
For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]
© Canary Media Ltd 2026, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings
Palantir’s integration with UK not-democracy accelerated with Covid and the then Conservative government, who were ordered to place such MIC corporations into the heart of social “care”. This being the social “care” aka austerity genocide which had starved a third of a million british citizens.
Covid did its bit, which was bailout the banks, funnel public money to the MIC and transfer tens of TRILLIONS from public to private hands, while destroying small business, and training the public on atomisation, home-working and ai-integration.
Israel did its bit with normalising genocide. Labour did their bit, which was continuity of anti-human policies and ensure a fluke like Corbyn could never happen again.
And here we are. Anybody still believe in party politics when the MIC uniparty is two in the US and five in the UK? Anybody still believe its a great idea to allow techcorps, who are led by people with mh conditions that restrict empathy, be in charge of anything at all? Anybody think you can change anything with pacifist protest?
‘Healey said: AUKUS is delivering for our security and for our economy. Together we are announcing ground-breaking underwater capabilities that will keep Britain safe, backing British businesses that are driving growth, and standing shoulder to shoulder with our closest allies.’
What utter gobbley gook!!! What exctly did Healey mean? In plain English he means little UK servant of its master the US will attempt to police the Indo-Pacific ocean because no way must any ocean not be owned and controlled by white men! Constantly spending our tax payers’ money on useless military tech is not ‘good business sense’ neither does it make any difference to ever increasing numbers of women and men becoming impoverished!!!
I mistakenly believed government meant for the people by the people not to ensure profits for multi national arms industries and whose products cause mass death and destruction!