On the recordJuly 14, 2010
I rise today to introduce the Defense Trade Treaty Implementation Act of 2010. The purpose of this bill is to provide authority to implement two treaties on defense trade cooperation currently pending before the Senate--one with the United Kingdom and one with Australia. These treaties would facilitate defense cooperation with two close allies by eliminating licensing requirements for certain categories of defense articles. I have long supported the objectives of these treaties. Indeed, in 2003--before the treaties were negotiated--I introduced legislation that would have provided the President the authority to waive licensing requirements for similar defense trade with the United Kingdom and Australia. Subsequently, the Bush administration negotiated these treaties, and they were submitted to the Senate in 2007. To date, the Senate has not been able to act on the treaties, in significant part because of confusion and uncertainty about how they would be implemented and enforced in U.S. law. This legislation would address the problem by providing clear legislative authority under the Arms Export Control Act to implement and enforce the treaties.
