The Pentagon says China will return a U.S. Navy underwater drone after it snatched the unmanned underwater vehicle this week in international waters in the South China Sea.

“We have registered our objection to China’s unlawful seizure of a U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle operating in international waters in the South China Sea,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement Saturday afternoon. “Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States.”