Arlington, Va. (Dec. 1, 2023) – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Eric Fanning today praised trilateral defense leadership from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia for committing to ongoing industry-government engagement around the implementation of the AUKUS partnership. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps announced a series of AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forums that strengthen industry-government collaboration to rapidly deliver capabilities to the warfighters. It comes as geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, continue to rise, underscoring the importance of continued cooperation with U.S. allies and partners.
“The Aerospace Industries Association thanks Secretary Austin, Minister Marles, and Secretary Shapps for bringing industry to the table to advance the AUKUS partnership,” Fanning said. “Industry-government collaboration is vital to the success of AUKUS, which is why AIA has called for ongoing engagement as the partnership is implemented. We appreciate this now becoming reality in the upcoming AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forums. We look forward to convening key government stakeholders and exploring how our countries’ industrial bases can strengthen the AUKUS partnership amid an ever-changing geopolitical environment.”
In March, AIA called on the U.S., U.K., and Australia to establish the AUKUS Industry Forum. AIA, and joined with its counterparts ADS, the U.K. trade association for aerospace, defense, security and space, and the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), to call for a series of steps to be taken to reduce trade, regulatory, and bureaucratic barriers that could hinder the AUKUS partnership.
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