U.S. Says New Deadline For High Tech Arms Sales To UK, Australia

A senior U.S. arms control official indicated on Tuesday that the United States is likely, though not guaranteed, to meet a new deadline for finalising trade exemptions essential for the AUKUS defence project involving Australia and Britain.

The AUKUS alliance, established in 2021, was formed in response to concerns about China’s increasing influence and involves significant defence cooperation, including Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

The project’s advancement has been somewhat stalled due to the stringent U.S. International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which control the sharing of sensitive technology.

Although a 120-day deadline for qualifying Australia and Britain for these exemptions was missed, the State Department remains optimistic about finalising the exemptions within another four-month period.

Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie Jenkins, noted that further consultations with the industry are needed but expressed confidence in meeting the upcoming deadline. “I don’t want to say a guarantee but I can say we feel pretty good based on what we’ve accomplished already and we can probably make the next 120 days,” Jenkins stated during an online briefing.

In efforts to align more closely with U.S. standards and secure the exemptions, Australia enacted new legislation in March. Additionally, the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law by President Joe Biden on December 22, mandates a determination within 120 days on whether the export control regimes of Australia and Britain are comparable to those of the United States, which would allow them to qualify for the ITAR exemptions.

With Inputs From Reuters