Maximising the benefit of Information Sharing across AUKUS

This article is part of Leidos’ Thought Leadership series, offering expert insights on the geopolitical and strategic challenges shaping our world.

Leidos’ AUKUS White Paper examines the critical importance of information sharing to the success of the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS), and the cultural, policy and technical challenges that must be addressed to realise its full potential. Under AUKUS Pillar 2, which focuses on advanced defence technologies, information sharing is not simply one workstream among many, but an enabling capability for all others.

Enhancing government dialogue around information sharing could be key to supporting the success of AUKUS. Despite progress in some areas, much of the architecture and many of the behaviours still reflect a legacy mindset shaped by restrictive regulation, operational caution and overclassification. This cautious approach contrasts starkly with the agility of adversaries, who face none of the same cultural or procedural constraints and are often able to innovate and collaborate at far greater speed.

There is an urgent need to shift from traditional notions of information exchange to a more dynamic model focused on collaborative capability and substantive discussion. Rather than physically transferring information between parties, the aim should be to create secure environments where authorised users from government, industry and academia can access, analyse and augment data as required. These environments must be flexible, scalable and inclusive, allowing the right people to work together at the right time. Maintaining separate data-sharing platforms for different partners or purposes risks duplication of effort and fragmentation of capability.

Cloud infrastructure offers the clearest path to achieving this vision, with it being imperative for hyperscalers to deliver reliable cloud infrastructure. Modern commercial practices have moved decisively in this direction with hyperscale providers, such as Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet investing heavily in secure and high-performing environments. These providers have become indispensable in both commercial and, increasingly, government sectors due to their global scale, security investment and continuous innovation. 

The use of commercial cloud infrastructure also addresses a second, increasingly serious concern: the battle for talent. Defence departments face a global shortage of cloud computing skills, with a widening gap in areas such as security, compliance and data governance. Moreover, competition for talent is intense, and the defence sector cannot easily match the salaries, career progression or appeal of global technology firms. In this context, working with hyperscalers is not a compromise, but a strategic necessity.

Nevertheless, building trust in shared environments is essential. Our white paper recommends a Zero Trust Architecture as the basis for all future AUKUS information sharing. This approach requires continuous verification of users and devices and attributes defined by nationality.

In conclusion, the challenge of information sharing within AUKUS is not technological. The tools and infrastructure already exist. What is required is ambition, leadership and a willingness to adapt to a new approach. Information sharing will determine the pace and impact of every other Pillar 2 capability. It must be treated accordingly.

This white paper makes clear that without meaningful progress on information sharing, the ambitions of AUKUS Pillar 2, spanning AI, quantum, cyber and other advanced defence technologies, risk being undermined from the outset. Complementing this analysis are two additional Leidos white papers: Achieving Resilience in a Contested Logistic Environment, which explores the operational challenges of sustaining capability in high-threat environments, and Building a UK Hypersonics Capability, which sets out a roadmap for the UK’s role in next-generation weapons development, all reinforcing the need for seamless collaboration across the AUKUS partnership.

download the white paper on information sharing across AUKUS