ARMOR Act
The ARMOR Act (AUKUS Reform for Military Optimization and Review Act) aims to reform and expand defense trade processes among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the AUKUS partners). It broadens the scope of the expedited export-license review to cover all transfers of defense articles and services—within or between Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada—plus related activities like reexports, retransfers, temporary imports, and brokering. The bill also increases transparency by requiring a series of annual reports on how the expedited review is used, clarifies certain congressional notification requirements, and imposes a periodic review of the Excluded Technologies List (the ITAR-controlled technologies) to ensure only items warrant ongoing licensing scrutiny. Overall, the bill seeks to streamline defense trade among the AUKUS partners while preserving national security oversight and reducing bureaucratic friction in defense sustainment and repair.
Key Points
- 1Expansion of Expedited Review of Export Licenses: The bill broadens the scope of the expedited license review to apply to all transfers, exports, reexports, re transfers, temporary imports, and brokering activities wholly within or between Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, not just previously covered items.
- 2Expanded Licensing Actions Covered: The definition of what counts as a licensing action is expanded to include transfers, reexports, retransfers, temporary imports, and brokering of defense articles and services within the AUKUS geographies.
- 3Annual Reporting Requirement: The President must, within 180 days of enactment and then every year for 15 years, report on the use of the expedited review process, including the number of licenses issued, the principal applicants, and the defense articles/services licensed, with reports to key congressional committees and leaders.
- 4Clarification of Congressional Notification: The bill adjusts notification requirements under the Arms Export Control Act, clarifying exemptions for certain exports/transfers among the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
- 5Review of the Excluded Technologies List: The Secretary of State (in coordination with the Secretary of Defense) must annually review Supplement No. 2 to ITAR Part 126 (the Excluded Technologies List) to ensure only items that statute or national security needs require continued licensing review are included, for a defined five-year “covered period” starting 180 days after enactment.