AUKUS Partners Lift Export Controls

A historic breakthrough in defence trade between the UK, US, and Australia has been announced following landmark export control changes to benefit the AUKUS partners.    

The milestone will enable all three nations to work more closely together to develop next-generation technologies, compete with adversaries and support interoperability in the Indo-Pacific.  

It is estimated the reforms – which will lift certain export controls and restrictions on technology sharing – will cover up to £500 million of UK defence exports each year, and billions of dollars of trade across all three nations, helping boost UK economic growth.

Built on strong bonds with Australian and US allies, AUKUS seeks to support security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

Yesterday's defence trade breakthrough comes via the publication of the UK’s AUKUS Nations Open General Licence, combined with a new exemption to the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for the UK and Australia, and new national exemptions for the UK and US in Australia’s export control framework. This will lift license requirements for the export and sharing of certain defence products, including advanced capabilities, technical data and defence services.

To read the full release, visit the U.K.'s government website