Britain's European allies will play a major role keeping shipping lanes open. One-fifth of all global crude exports passes through the narrow strait between Iran and Oman.
The House of Representatives has inserted several provisions in the Intelligence Authorization Act to help speed up the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's adoption of image processing technology.
The government's acquisition announcement has taken observers by surprise, as it was widely expected that Australia would persist with operating its Tiger fleet for a little while longer.