Arlington, Va. (May 25, 2023) – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Eric Fanning today praised introduction of the Truncating Onerous Regulations for Partners and Enhancing Deterrence Operations (TORPEDO) Act of 2023. In a letter to the bill’s sponsors, Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Fanning hailed the bill for “reducing trade, regulatory, and bureaucratic barriers that may hinder” the Australia-United Kingdom-United States trilateral security pact.
“While the establishment of AUKUS is widely supported, operational success hinges on reducing barriers to cooperation and creating optimal pathways to quickly develop, produce and deliver high-end capabilities,” Fanning writes. “U.S. support to Ukraine demonstrated that our current regulatory and bureaucratic systems are not designed to maximize speed, innovation, or technological integration — all of which are essential for AUKUS success.
“This bill addresses key reforms that AIA members strongly support, including expanding export license exemptions and general licenses for our closest allies, anticipating technology and disclosure policies for critical defense capabilities, updating outdated export control lists, and ensuring the U.S. government has the appropriate staff and funding to support the broader AUKUS objectives,” Fanning continues.
The letter also encourages the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to mark up the bill as soon as possible and the full Senate to consider the bill on the floor in short order.
Click here or see below for the text of the letter.
Dear Senator Risch and Senator Hagerty:
On behalf of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and our more than 320 U.S. aerospace and defense companies, thank you for your leadership in introducing the Truncating Onerous Regulations for Partners and Enhancing Deterrence Operations (TORPEDO) Act of 2023. This legislation would bolster the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) pact by reducing trade, regulatory, and bureaucratic barriers that may hinder this historic security partnership.
While the establishment of AUKUS is widely supported, operational success hinges on reducing barriers to cooperation and creating optimal pathways to quickly develop, produce and deliver high-end capabilities. This requires modern, integrated, and consistent national security policies, export controls, and information-sharing standards that clearly define and accelerate AUKUS objectives. Establishing a defense trade-friendly regulatory structure that allows our collective industries to meet current and future global threats across all three countries is paramount.
As the manufacturers and exporters of next-generation capabilities, the U.S. aerospace and defense industry will play an integral role as Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States take this historic partnership from concept to reality. U.S. support to Ukraine demonstrated that our current regulatory and bureaucratic systems are not designed to maximize speed, innovation, or technological integration — all of which are essential for AUKUS success. This bill addresses key reforms that AIA members strongly support, including expanding export license exemptions and general licenses for our closest allies, anticipating technology and disclosure policies for critical defense capabilities, updating outdated export control lists, and ensuring the U.S. government has the appropriate staff and funding to support the broader AUKUS objectives. Therefore, we urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to mark up the TORPEDO Act of 2023 as soon as possible and for congressional leadership to bring it to the Senate floor for a vote soon after.
Our organization and member companies will have additional suggestions for improving export efficiency and speed as it relates to AUKUS technologies, and we look forward to working with you on a comprehensive bipartisan, bicameral approach to this crucial national security issue.
Respectfully,
Eric Fanning
President and CEO
Aerospace Industries Association
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