Senate committee advances AUKUS export control amendment

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today advanced a legislative proposal that would loosen arms export control regulations between the United States, Australia and United Kingdom under the AUKUS security pact.

Senators approved the “AUKUS Improvement Act of 2025” along with several other proposals by voice vote during a committee meeting this morning.

The legislation, which was introduced in June by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) with bipartisan support, would give the U.S. greater flexibility to sell and exchange defense items with the other two AUKUS nations without first receiving formal approvals.

AUKUS -- a Biden-era pact designed to help Australia establish its own nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet and to facilitate greater defense tech collaboration among the three signatories -- received an endorsement from President Trump earlier this week.

Meanwhile, defense officials are wrapping up a review of the agreement, initiated by the Trump administration in June. On Monday, Navy Secretary John Phelan said the aim of the review is to improve upon the original framework and clarify “ambiguity” within it.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) later said lawmakers expect the review to yield a series of recommendations focused on improving domestic industrial base performance.