AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025
The AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025 is a Senate bill designed to streamline and strengthen defense trade between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom as part of the AUKUS partnership. It adds targeted exemptions within the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) to allow easier reexports, retransfers, and temporary imports of defense articles among the three partners (and certain eligible entities), without requiring presidential consent or Foreign Assistance Act approvals in those specific cases. It also relaxes certification requirements for certain commercial technical assistance and manufacturing license agreements involving Australia and the United Kingdom. Overall, the bill aims to reduce administrative friction to support faster cooperation on defense capabilities, including those under the AUKUS framework.
Key Points
- 1Exemption to allow reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports of defense articles between Australia, the United Kingdom, and eligible entities without the President’s prior consent or Foreign Assistance Act approvals.
- 2Intra-company, intra-organization, and intra-government transfers related to these defense articles are authorized among appropriate personnel, including certain dual or third-country nationals who meet relevant regulations.
- 3Elimination of the certification requirement for commercial technical assistance or manufacturing license agreements involving Australia or the United Kingdom.
- 4Legislative adjustments to the wording of the AECA section governing these issues, including changes related to NATO language and the U.S.-UK-Australia alignment.
- 5Short title: “AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025.”