Australia’s intelligence chief warned that several countries are “relentlessly” attempting to gather information about Australia’s military capabilities, including its nuclear submarine deal with the United States and the United Kingdom.
In his 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, Mike Burgess, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, revealed that multiple foreign intelligence services are actively seeking classified details about AUKUS, the partnership between Australia, the U.S. and U.K. aimed at enhancing technology sharing in the Indo-Pacific region.
The first pillar of the partnership centers on Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines and hosting U.S. and U.K. nuclear-powered attack submarines on a rotational basis.
Burgess claimed that even countries perceived as friendly to Australia were involved in intelligence collection efforts.
“AUKUS will remain a priority target for intelligence collection, including by countries we consider friendly,” Burgess said.
He noted that some foreign agencies are not only trying to gather intelligence but are also working to undermine trust between Australia and its AUKUS partners.
In his speech, Burgess also revealed that the country’s defence personnel were “being targeted in person and online,” and added: “Some were recently given gifts by international counterparts. The presents contained concealed surveillance devices.”
He also said that foreign cyber units have repeatedly attempted to map Australia’s networks, planting malware or maintaining long-term access for potential future attacks.
Burgess warned that espionage against AUKUS could escalate beyond intelligence collection as the nuclear submarine program advances toward 2030.
“By 2030, as the submarine project matures, intelligence services are more likely to focus on foreign interference to undermine community support for the enterprise and potentially sabotage if regional tensions escalate,” he said.
