哔哩传媒 (UAH), part of The University of Alabama System, hosted the 2024 AUKUS Industry Forum on Oct. 28. Held on the UAH campus, this first-of-its-kind event brought together U.S. Administration officials, lawmakers and local industry representatives to explore how , the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States will impact the defense industrial base in Alabama.
Attendees engaged with panelists from across the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of State (DOS). In addition, Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04) and Rep. Dale Strong (AL-05) offered remarks. 鈥淭he AUKUS Industry Forum connected industry partners with Congress and Administration officials who are focused on confronting the threats of the 21st century,鈥� said Rep. Aderholt.
Attendees engaged with panelists from across the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of State (DOS).
Michael Mercier | UAH
"North Alabama takes tremendous pride in safeguarding our nation, and the AUKUS forum provided a great opportunity to showcase our contributions to keeping our country and its allies secure. Partnering with Australia and the United Kingdom for our shared defense benefits our region as those jobs, and the expertise to develop these assets, are located here,鈥� noted Rep. Strong.
Brian Burton, Senior Advisor, International & Industry Engagement, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S), moderated a panel of experts from DOD and DOS, including:
- Abigail Desjardins, Deputy Chief, Global Partnerships, DIU
- Peter Highnam, Ph.D., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies, OUSD Research & Engineering (R&E), DOD
- Philip Kao, Ph.D., Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Regional Security and Arms Transfers Office, DOS
- Damon Smith, Foreign Affairs Officer, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy, DOS
A key subject of discussion was how current U.S. export control laws, namely the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) can be reformed to support closer collaboration with Australia and the UK. 鈥淭hese changes we鈥檙e making to the ITAR fundamentally enhance the way industry across our three countries can engage in defense trade and, thereby, promote our underlying AUKUS strategy,鈥� noted Smith.
Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (AL-04)
Michael Mercier | UAH
鈥淢y hope is that AUKUS will be a new way of doing business, freeing our defense production industry from the constraints of bureaucracy, and allowing them to take bold, decisive steps to ensure our national security in this new age,鈥� said Rep. Aderholt.
These changes in export laws could have a big impact in Huntsville, one of the fastest growing tech cities in the United States and a hub for aerospace and defense development. 鈥淭he growth of technology companies in Huntsville has outpaced much of the rest of the country,鈥� said Dr. Robert Lindquist, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at UAH, noting that Huntsville is among four major hubs for research development in the country, joining Silicon Valley, Boston, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina.
As an anchor tenant of Huntsville鈥檚 Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the country and the fourth largest in the world, UAH is uniquely situated to collaborate on research with the more than 300 high-technology companies serving the aerospace and defense sectors, as well with leading experts across numerous government agencies. UAH has been granted 鈥楻1 鈥� Very high research activity鈥� status among doctoral-granting universities in the Carnegie rankings, placing it among the top public universities in America.
Rep. Dale Strong (AL-05).
Michael Mercier | UAH
鈥淲e are proud of the role UAH researchers have played in fostering the development of advanced capabilities across numerous sectors, and we are committed to furthering this innovation,鈥� said Lindquist. 鈥淚t is an honor to host a forum enabling our industry partners in Huntsville and North Alabama to engage with government officials on such an important initiative as AUKUS.鈥�
About AUKUS
Announced in September 2021, AUKUS is intended to strengthen the ability of each government to support security and defense interests, building on longstanding and ongoing bilateral ties. The partnership seeks to promote deeper information sharing, promote technology sharing and foster deeper integration of security and defense-related science, technology, industrial bases and supply chains.
AUKUS is aimed at strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. While the first initiative under AUKUS is focused on supporting Australia's acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, the second initiative intends to enhance joint capabilities and interoperability to deliver a range of advanced capabilities to the warfighter, focusing on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and additional undersea capabilities.
