From Hillary Clinton, U.S. Department of State:  We welcome the Senate’s approval of the U.S.-UK and the U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties and the passage of implementing legislation by the House and Senate. These treaties recognize and support the long-standing special relationship between the United States and two of its closest allies and support U.S. national security interests by furthering cooperative efforts to meet shared security challenges.

The treaties accomplish this by creating a system that allows for a more streamlined and efficient movement of defense articles and services, thereby enhancing our ability to equip our armed forces with the best technology available in the most expeditious manner possible.

From the White House:  The President called Prime Minister David Cameron today to convey the good news that the U.S. Senate provided its Advice and Consent to the U.S.-U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty last night.  The ratification of the Treaty was a high priority for both the President and the Prime Minister, and its passage is evidence of the broad, bipartisan support that undergirds the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.  The President noted that implementation of the Treaty will generate jobs for both of our economies, and further deepen the close ties and cooperation between our countries.  The President and the Prime Minister also discussed our close ongoing counterterrorism cooperation, and agreed on the importance of advancing the Middle East Peace process.

From the U.S. Department of State:  The treaties allow for the export or transfer of certain defense articles and defense services controlled pursuant to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) between certain persons in the United States and the United Kingdom, pursuant to the U.S.-UK treaty, or between certain persons in the United States and Australia, pursuant to the U.S-Australia treaty, without the need for export licenses or other ITAR approvals. …

Under the treaties, it will be possible for most U.S. defense articles to be exported into, and within, these communities without prior licenses or other authorizations pursuant to the ITAR as long as the exports are in support of:

• Certain combined military and counter-terrorism operations;
• Certain cooperative security and defense research, development, production, and support programs;
• Certain Mutually agreed security and defense projects where the end-user is the Government of the United Kingdom or the Government of Australia; or
• Certain U.S. Government end-use.

The United States and the UK, and the U.S. and Australia must jointly agree on which projects, programs and operations qualify for processing under the terms of the treaties. UK and Australian retransfer or re-exports of items originally exported pursuant to either treaty to a person outside the respective Approved Communities will require USG approval and UK or Australian authorization as appropriate.  (photo: Reuters)