Lugar Statement on Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties

Statement

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar released the following statement regarding the passage of Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties last evening.

I am pleased that last night the Senate unanimously agreed to resolutions of advice and consent to ratification for defense trade cooperation treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia. Earlier this week, legislation I authored to provide necessary authorities to implement the treaties passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The treaties will strengthen our ability to work with these two close allies to advance our shared security interests. The regime for implementing the treaties will give law enforcement officials the tools they need to enforce against violations or abuses of the treaties. It will also provide for continued Congressional oversight over arms transfers, as well as over the treaties' implementation.

For me, this caps more than seven years of work on these defense trade licensing exemptions, going back to my introduction in 2003 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005--the first measure to include authority for licensing exemptions. I am pleased that we have reached the end of a long process.

This process has been a reminder of the need for careful consideration of matters related to the control of weapons technologies and the need for cooperation between the Executive and Legislative branches of our government on matters related to export control.

I thank the Departments of State, Justice and Defense for their assistance as we worked to achieve final passage of the legislation and the treaties. I regret it took as long as it did, but I am pleased with the result of our mutual effort to ensure that new defense-trade relationships with our closest allies are implemented and enforced in an appropriate manner.

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