Bennet, Ricketts, Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Bolster AUKUS Cooperation

Jun 25, 2026 | Press Releases

Denver - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Senators Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and colleagues to introduce the Unlocking Next-Generation Licensing and Opportunities for Collaborative Know-how for AUKUS (UNLOCK AUKUS) Act.

The UNLOCK AUKUS Act would make technologies currently controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) eligible for transfer under the AUKUS license-free environment. This would enhance collaboration between AUKUS partners - the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom - on advanced systems such as guided weapons, collaborative combat aircraft, hypersonics, space technologies, and other AUKUS Pillar II projects. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho), along with Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), also co-sponsor the bill.

"In the face of China's mounting aggression and coercive behavior, we must bolster AUKUS to ensure deterrence and preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific," said Bennet. "The UNLOCK AUKUS Act will strengthen this key partnership by simplifying the transfer of critical defense technologies to advance our joint capabilities."

"The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom face the most challenging threat environment since WWII. As we approach the 5th anniversary of AUKUS, we need to cut through any remaining red tape to streamline defense collaboration," said Ricketts. "The UNLOCK AUKUS Act would accelerate collaboration, innovation, and fielding of the advanced military capabilities needed by AUKUS partners to maintain our collective, technological edge."

"The AUKUS partnership is critical to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific and deterring an increasingly emboldened China," said Kaine. "I'm proud to partner with Senator Ricketts in introducing this bipartisan legislation to bolster the partnership by streamlining the transfer of key technologies to improve our joint capabilities."

Specifically, the UNLOCK AUKUS Act would:

• Enable eligible MTCR-related items not registered on the Excluded Technology List (ETL) or Government-to-Government List to benefit from the AUKUS license-free environment.
• Establish a secure, predictable pathway for the transfer of goods and technology controlled by the MTCR for AUKUS partners within the trusted community of AUKUS Authorized Users.
• Maintain full compliance with non-proliferation commitments under the MTCR.

The license-free environment established under AUKUS has enabled over a thousand companies to engage in deeper industrial cooperation and supported faster, lower-cost collaboration. This environment has facilitated the export and transfer of most military and dual-use goods, technologies, and services across industry, academia, and research sectors without requiring permits or licences.

The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), signed in 1987, is a non-binding political arrangement comprising 35 countries and designed to curtail exports and proliferation of ballistic missiles and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) delivery vehicles. MTCR-controlled items account for most of the remaining technologies that still require an export license between AUKUS partners. The inclusion of these items on the International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) Excluded Technology List (ETL), as legislated under the Arms Export Control Act, makes them ineligible for transfer under the AUKUS license-free environment.

Removing the statutory requirement that MTCR items be included on the ETL would deliver on congressional intent and increase defense-eligible goods and technology transfer from 70 percent to closer to 95 percent. This would enhance AUKUS collaboration on:

• Guided weapons and explosive ordnance, such as the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM);
• Autonomous and uncrewed systems;
• Hypersonic technologies;
• Other capabilities supporting AUKUS Pillar I and Pillar II objectives.

Bennet has long supported the AUKUS partnership and other efforts to enhance Indo-Pacific deterrence. Last year, he helped pass legislation to strengthen the AUKUS partnership by streamlining defense industrial base collaboration and co-production of Virginia-class submarines. In 2024, he helped pass legislation requiring the Department of Defense and State Department to determine how Japan can contribute to AUKUS.

Additionally, Bennet authored and passed legislation last year requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a strategy to strengthen U.S.-led multilateral efforts to deter China's aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Bennet and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) also secured language - in line with their Quad Space Act - in the FY26 NDAA report requiring Department of Defense officials to brief Congress on efforts to coordinate best practices in space with allies and partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India.

Bennet recently secured language in the Senate Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) report, including versions of his First Island Chain Deterrence Act with Ricketts and Indo-Pacific Space Partnership Act with Cramer.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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