Arlington, Va. – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Eric Fanning today released the following statement after AIA submitted comprehensive feedback to the Department of State on regulations implementing the International Trade and Arms Regulation (ITAR) exemption for Australia and the United Kingdom under the AUKUS security partnership:
“The success of the AUKUS partnership rests on a solid foundation of trust between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. We won’t realize the full potential without serious changes to the rules governing our relationship. We’re already seeing progress with the State Department’s proposed AUKUS guidelines, but we have more work to do to break down barriers to cooperation. The Aerospace Industries Association is at the forefront of this generational opportunity, advocating for changes that will bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen our industrial bases, and boost our shared technological edge.”
A summary “cheat sheet” of AIA’s comments to the Department of State is available here. You can read AIA’s full comments here.
In addition to the ITAR feedback submitted today, AIA calls on the U.S. government to address the lingering challenge of the technology security and foreign disclosure process that slows cooperation. Additionally, AIA reiterates the need for commonsense change to the congressional notification process for Australia and the United Kingdom in recognition of the special relationship and enduring partnership these nations have with the United States.
AIA has been the leading voice of U.S. industry’s role in implementing AUKUS, joining its counterparts in the UK and Australia in March 2023 to recommend specific regulatory updates to operationalize the ground-breaking partnership. In April, AIA Vice President of International Affairs Dak Hardwick participated in an AUKUS Pilar II roundtable with the House Foreign Affairs Committee in which he expressed the need for industry-government collaboration to ensure AUKUS success.
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