iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Pen-chan, a female Cape penguin born and raised in captivity, absconded from an event in the central Aichi region on August 25
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Australia, Britain, US drop defence trade barriers to propel AUKUS
The move is seen as a significant step for Australia to acquire US nuclear-powered attack submarines
US President Joe Biden (C) participates in a trilateral meeting with then British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego California. AFP
Australia, the United States and Britain have removed significant barriers on defence trade between the AUKUS partners and opened the way for faster approvals for highly sensitive technologies, Australian officials said.
The move is seen as a significant step for Australia to acquire US nuclear-powered attack submarines and jointly develop with the US and Britain a new class of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine over the next two decades.
The AUKUS partners are also developing advanced defence technology spanning hypersonic missiles, undersea drones and quantum technologies, with the reforms expected to speed up the transition of these projects from research to production.
The United States is Australia's closest security ally, but had restricted sharing of closely guarded defence technology, which is governed by the US International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
There had been delays by the US State Department in finalising exemptions for Australia and Britain under ITAR, which required the AUKUS partners to show they had export control regimes equivalent to the United States.
Eliminating the need for export licences for much defence technology will take effect from September 1, Australian officials said on Thursday, with Defence Minister Richard Marles calling it a "generational change".
"These critical reforms will revolutionise defence trade, innovation and cooperation, enabling collaboration at the speed and scale required to meet our challenging strategic circumstances," he said in a statement.
The US issues around 3,800 defence export control licences for Australia each year which have taken up to 18 months to approve, while approvals in Britain have taken 100 days.
From next month, 70% of defence exports from the US to Australia previously under ITAR will be licence free.
An Excluded Technologies List will be released by the US showing sensitive technologies that will continue to require a licence, to be reviewed annually.
The US State Department will have a 45-day window to decide on the transfer of technologies on the excluded list between governments and industry, and 30-days for government-to-government transfers.
Over 80% of goods subject to control by the US Commerce Department as "dual use" military and civilian technologies will also become licence free for Australia from September.
Australia has eliminated 900 export permits on defence goods worth A$5 billion to the US and Britain, officials said.
Under a deal signed in 2021, the United States will sell Australia between three and five Virginia-class attack submarines from the early 2030s as a stopgap while Australia and Britain build a new SSN-AUKUS class, that will include US technologies, due roughly a decade later.
More news from World
Air traffic was unaffected and no flights were interrupted
Machado remains mostly in hiding, but has led a handful of anti-Maduro protests since the disputed vote
Kennedy dropped out as an independent candidate in the presidential race last month and endorsed Trump
Floods began when a dam overflowed following heavy rains, uprooting thousands of people
Government and private colleges in the state, which borders Myanmar, will also be shut on Wednesday and Thursday
Finland plans law to ban use of personal phones in schools
Excited crowds line streets in baking heat to see pontiff