United Kingdom expands military reach in space and undersea domains

The United Kingdom is expanding its military capabilities across both space and undersea domains to enhance national security and alliance interoperability.

The Royal Air Force has established No. III Space Effects Squadron, its first dedicated unit tasked with countering hostile threats to British space capabilities. Announced by Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, the squadron will focus on disrupting, degrading, and denying hostile activity, including through electronic warfare. This unit complements existing space operations and warning squadrons to protect satellite systems essential for military communications, navigation, and national infrastructure.

In the maritime domain, Britain is leading a major NATO initiative to create an interoperable network within the undersea battlespace. Described as the alliance’s most significant undersea awareness effort since the Cold War, the program aims to connect frigates, uncrewed underwater vehicles, surface relay nodes, and satellite links. Commodore David Burton noted the initiative seeks to transition from a reliance on a small number of large conventional assets to a vast network of smaller, interconnected uncrewed systems to protect critical infrastructure and monitor submarine activity.