Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed the AUKUS Reform for Military Optimization and Review Act (ARMOR) Act (H.R. 4233), a bipartisan bill led by East Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee Chair Young Kim (CA-40) that would streamline and strengthen the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS) trilateral security partnership.
Watch Rep. Kim speak on the floor in support of the bill HERE.
“As our authoritarian adversaries grow more brazen in their Unholy Alliance, the United States must move with urgency to strengthen AUKUS and maintain our technological edge,” said Rep. Young Kim. “Outdated export controls and bureaucratic delays weaken our ability to counter threats. The ARMOR Act cuts through the red tape so AUKUS can deliver peace through strength and show the world that America is serious about preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
“For four years, AUKUS has bolstered our critical alliance with Australia and the United Kingdom as we work to counter the rising threat China poses on a free and open Indo-Pacific. The ARMOR Act continues this mission by streamlining arms sales to protect some of our closest allies — while preserving congressional oversight and protecting our most sensitive technologies,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean. “I am encouraged by the House’s passage of the ARMOR Act, and I am grateful for Congresswoman Kim’s leadership on this urgent bipartisan bill.”
“The United States shares a longstanding friendship and vital security partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia, grounded in shared democratic values, mutual trust, and centuries of kinship,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke. “The House’s passage of the bipartisan ARMORAct represents a critical step toward modernizing and streamlining our foreign military sales process with these key allies, strengthening our collective defense and enhancing our global strategic posture. This legislation reflects a strong, unified commitment to peace, stability, and international collaboration. I look forward to its swift passage in the Senate and commend Congresswoman Kim for her work on the Foreign Military Sales Task Force.”
AUKUS is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States formed in 2021 to foster collaboration on advanced technologies like nuclear-powered submarines, AI, and hypersonic capabilities. There are two pillars of AUKUS:
- Pillar I is focused on helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
- Pillar II focuses on joint development and sharing of advanced technologies to boost military and defense capabilities. The ARMOR Act specifically relates to Pillar II.
Specifically, the ARMOR Act strengthens the expedited review process for AUKUS transfers, exports, and other activities involving advanced technologies and defense articles and services by:
- Expanding the expedited licensing to include retransfers;
- Removing the congressional notification requirement on certain AUKUS transfers;
- Requiring a report on implementation of expedited review for export licenses; and,
- Requiring an annual review of the Excluded Technology List to ensure the list is relevant and aligned with AUKUS goals.
The ARMOR Act passed the House with strong bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
