U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) on July 18 sponsored legislation to support Australia’s joint advanced military capabilities in implementation of the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States known as AUKUS.
“I’m proud to lead this effort to ensure the United States projects strength on the world stage and accelerate development of joint defense capabilities in critical technologies,” Rep. Kim said. “As chairwoman of the [U.S. House Foreign Affairs] Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, I’m fighting to ensure we deliver for our Indo-Pacific allies against the Chinese Communist Party.”
The congresswoman introduced the Keeping Our Allies Leading in Advancement (KOALA) Act, H.R. 4716, with two original cosponsors: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and committee member U.S. Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ).
H.R. 4716 would amend the Arms Export Control Act in support of Australia and the AUKUS partnership, according to the text of the bill.
“The KOALA Act will help cut through the red tape that is slowing down efforts to support Australia and implement AUKUS,” said Rep. Kim. “This is more important than ever as the CCP increases aggression.”
The AUKUS agreement, which was announced in September 2021, has two pillars: 1.) to provide Australia with a nuclear-powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date; and 2.) to develop and improve joint advanced military capabilities and interoperability, according to a summary provided by Rep. Kim’s office.
“For the United States to continue to be a global leader, we need to show our allies we can deliver on our nation’s word,” said Rep. Kim. “The KOALA Act intends to implement AUKUS Pillar 2 for Australia. The bill was introduced with other bills together to satisfy the AUKUS pillars for Australia and the United Kingdom.”
The House Foreign Affairs Committee and the U.S. House Rules Committee are considering the measure.