WASHINGTON, D.C. – On July 13, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Co-Chair of the AUKUS Working Group and Friends of Australia Caucus, issued the following statement after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advancedthe Department of State Authorization Act of 2023 (S. 2043), which included provisions to allow for the transfer of Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, the training of Australian private sector defense personnel, as well as the integration of Australian financial contributions to the U.S. defense industrial base.
“Today’s bipartisan action on legislation to authorize AUKUS is good news and a great step towards making this trilateral security agreement a reality. In particular, Senators Menendez and Kaine deserve great credit for their leadership crafting this measure. I hope their example will inspire similar action in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Today’s action is coupled with historic investments I helped to secure in the House Armed Services Committee-passed FY24 National Defense Authorization Act. Notably, we included multiyear procurement authority for the next block of Virginia-class submarines, totaling 13 submarines in the next five-year contract. This will ensure we can deliver on the trilateral AUKUS agreement, while also sending a clear signal to the US submarine industrial to increase our production cadence above two submarines per year to bolster our Navy’s inventory.
“I look forward to working with the bipartisan leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to advance legislation to authorize AUKUS.”
Rep. Courtney recently penned an op-ed in the Daily Telegraphresponding to misinformed critics of the AUKUS security agreement.
Original source can be found here.
