Stunning Rise in Spy Attacks
MALVEAUX: Underwater unman drones are among the U.S. military's most critical classified technology. But according to a new Pentagon report, that technology is under constant attack by foreign spies. Our CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: They glide deep underwater, no crew on board. Sensors gather intelligence about everything from the movement of warships to port security. The U.S. military leads the world in developing these classified, unmanned underwater vehicles. Other nations, especially in Asia, are urgently trying to get their hands on them according to a new Pentagon report. Targeting the U.S. with industrial espionage is a global problem. In 2010 the Pentagon witnessed a stunning increase of over 140 percent in attempts to get military information of all types. Industry reports everything from phone calls, asking for pricing and technical information, to cyber-attacks aimed at outright stealing.</s>JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: If it's a choice between stealing our technology and developing your own, it's a lot cheaper to try to steal our good stuff than to try to develop it with your own money.</s>STARR: Weapons expert John Pike says China is most likely behind most of the efforts to steal the U.S.'s underwater secrets.</s>PIKE: The Chinese are interested in underwater drones for the same reason that everybody else is. And over the last decade, we've seen this explosion of activity in aerial drones, and everybody believes that underwater drones will be the next great thing.</s>STARR: The Pentagon found more than 70 percent of all attempts to get access to this technology came from east Asian and Pacific nations, but the report does not name countries. It's a region getting increased military attention. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, now in Asia, promises stronger ties in the face of growing Chinese military power and an unstable North Korea.</s>LEON PANETTA, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We're going to maintain our presence. We're going to not only maintain our presence, but we're going to strengthen our presence in the Pacific region.</s>STARR (on camera): And, of course, there are commercial uses for this type of underwater technology as well -- monitoring fisheries, offshore oil drilling, and even looking for old shipwrecks. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.