Australia & United States Defence Trade Treaty
The text of the Treaty between Australia and the United States concerning Defence Trade Cooperation has been released by
the Australian and US Governments.
The Treaty was signed by the then Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard MP, and the President of the United States, the
Hon George W. Bush, in Sydney on 5 September 2007.
The Treaty represents a significant step forward in defence cooperation with the United States. It will provide
substantial operational benefits to the Australian Defence Force through better access to US capability development and
support.
Australian defence industry will also benefit from the significantly reduced workload required by current US Government
export approval procedures.
The purpose of the Treaty is to create a comprehensive framework for the two-way trade in defence articles, including
equipment, spare parts, services and related technical data within an approved community of government facilities and
private companies in Australia and the US, without the need for licences.
The Treaty will be subject to ratification processes by the governments in both Australia and the United States before
it enters into force.
ENDS