The UK is stepping up protection of its undersea cables, with a new programme combining autonomous technology, warships and aircraft to safeguard critical infrastructure.
The Ministry of Defence has launched the Atlantic Bastion initiative to counter what it describes as heightened activity from Russian submarines and surface vessels. Defence Secretary John Healey said Russia’s spy ship Yantar had been mapping British undersea infrastructure, prompting the UK to accelerate efforts to secure the seabed.
Healey called Atlantic Bastion “a blueprint for the future of the Royal Navy”, using autonomous and AI-driven systems alongside traditional naval assets to detect, deter and defeat emerging threats.
Ahead of a conference speech, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins emphasised that the UK’s recent strategic defence review had underscored the need to strengthen maritime security. He said Atlantic Bastion represents a bold step in protecting the underwater battlespace against a modernising Russia.
According to Jenkins, a “revolutionary underwater network” is beginning to take shape from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the Norwegian Sea. He described the system as more autonomous, resilient and lethal than past approaches, and highlighted that much of the technology will be developed in Britain. The government says the initiative could create thousands of domestic jobs.
The programme is being supported by a trio of defence-technology firms: US-based Anduril, Germany’s Helsing and British defence giant BAE Systems. In May, the Ministry of Defence issued a procurement notice for the £24 million Atlantic Net project, under which contractors will operate lightly crewed or autonomous systems feeding acoustic data to the Royal Navy for AI-driven analysis.
The UK relies heavily on subsea cables for internet connectivity. Although the country has 64 such cables, around three-quarters of transatlantic traffic passes through just two that land at Bude in Cornwall, according to a report by the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy. The committee warned that while immediate danger is unlikely, the UK must be prepared for its communications infrastructure to be threatened during a security crisis.
The government hopes that Atlantic Bastion will significantly reduce that risk, ensuring that the systems underpinning the nation’s digital and economic stability remain secure.
