When you play on select videos. This timeline makes it easy to quickly get an idea of what was debated and decided in washington. Scroll through and spend a few minutes on cspans points of interest. Pentagon and state Department Officials testifying now on the Security Partnership between australia, the uk, and the u. S. And how the alliance can improve security in the Indo Pacific Region, u. S. National security and investments and a submarine production and maintenance held by the Senate ForeignRelations Committee. This hearing of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee will come to order. In march, President Biden stood alongside leaders expect this hearing of the Senate ForeignRelations Committee will come to order. In march President Biden stood alongside leaders of the United Kingdom and australia to announce the agreement. A generational opportunity that will enhance u. S. National security interests by transforming our alliances. Deterring aggression from the peoples republic of china and fostering a more stable indo pacific. Beijing today has Worlds Largest navy. Xi jinpings hyper nationalist government has been laying claim to territory in international waters. They have built artificial islands for new operating basis is with runways for military aircraft and ballistic missiles. At the same time, they are aggressively trying to influence australian politics and civil society. Buying critical infrastructure, like port facilities in darwin, making political donations, even hacking Australian Parliament and Major Political parties. This is a critical moment in which the United States needs to show that we are serious about our commitment to a free and open indo pacific. Congress has about a role to play in cementing this long term vision and time is of the essence. Unfortunately, the necessary congressional codification of some of this agreement has not gone as smoothly as some of us would have hoped. Senator rich and i worked incredibly hard to codify the two central pillars of august, to acknowledge also senator kaines engagement in that initiative as well. Pillar one includes selling West VirginiaClass Nuclear powered submarines to australia. Making them the only other country, other than the United Kingdom, that we share this technology with. Training australians to crew and produce submarines and significant financial contributions from australia to expand our own submarine production capabilities. We ought to legislation with all of these elements that we moved to the senate Relations Committee with strong bipartisan support. I want to thank senator rich for his partnership in helping us to advance pillar one. However, it did not make it into the Senate Version of the National Defense authorization act. In addition to the French Submarine industry some of our colleagues in the senate expressed concerns about the primary purpose of august, the summary transfers and support. If we fail to move forward with full congressional support of august, including the Nuclear Powered submarines, were doing beijings job for them. China is against august, because it complicates their calculations across the indo pacific. With Nuclear Power the submarines can travel long distances underwater and undetected. This will give australia the ability to protect security interest from thousands of miles away. And we will be able to crew submarines together that operate directly out of naval bases in australia. Further enhancing our already deep bilateral relationship. And enhancing our reach into the region. Congress needs to play its part in agreement for it to work. We need to send the message that the United States can be relied upon. Australia and all of our partners in the region are watching. President xi is watching. Thousands of americans employed in our shipyards who would build these submarines and who would benefit from the australian contributions to support and expand our submarine in the structure are watching as well. I hope our witnesses will help us understand why both pillars of august will improve the National Security interest of the United States, australia, and the United Kingdom. Because based on Mission Requirements set by the navy the United States and australia need these submarines faster than theyre currently being produced. Dr. Carlin, i think would be helpful if you could clarify exactly how the department of defense plans to increase american sub production. How we go from making 1. 4 subs a year to three subs a year . Secretary more, i hope you can shed some light on the perspective. What will this deal mean for our alliance with australia and what is the cost of inaction . Finally, secretary lewis, how will you ensure that as we codevelop advanced military technologies with australia are proprietary products will be safe from chinese espionage . Will this require changes to all parties export controls to protect u. S. Military technology . As well as military technology we developed together to this new partnership . Im supportive of pillar two of the agreement, the court of element of advanced military technology, which will require streamlining and strengthening export controls among the partners. But i dont want august to be used by some as a trojan horse to undermine u. S. Export controls for the sake of commercial, industrial interests that are unrelated to the partnership. It should be about modernizing our historic alliances with two of our closest partners who have fought alongside the United States in defense of democracy and freedom. With that let me turn to the Ranking Member for his opening statement. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Certainly, i want to associate myself with remarks you have made, both of us recognize how important this is. We are anxious to see it move forward. Certainly, there have been some disappointments so far, but that doesnt mean we cant do better in the future. I think thats the purpose of this hearing, to try to get this thing on track and move it more quickly and more efficiently. As United States enters into a period of strategic rivalry with china includes military competition on a scale we havent seen in generations. China has undertaken a Nuclear Breakout and fields the Worlds Largest navy in a fully modernized air force picked meet this challenge we must quickly expand the reliance and resilience and capacity of our Defense Industrial base. U. S. Allies should be copartners in this effort and the auukus partnership is an important first step for the defense trade partnership between australia, the uk, and the u. S. Is meant to bolster collaboration and joint advanced military capabilities. In particular, our goals include increased Technology Sharing coproduction of element and expedited export licensing processes. Pillar one focuses on australias acquisition of conventionally armed Nuclear Powered submarines. This is bold and essential. It is also highly contingent upon supply and unlikely to produce increased submarine capability in the indo pacific for a decade. Importantly, the capabilities needed to fully implement pillar one, including cruise missiles, the boats combat system, or danced computing capabilities will heavily be dependent on pillar two. If executed as intended pillar two offers the potential for to produce meaningful results this decade. Pillar two can also expand and build resilience across the supply chains and Industrial Bases, and imperative giving the lingering impact of covid in u. S. Limitations exposed by russias invasion of ukraine. However, our expert control system remains overly cumbersome and treats our closest allies with proven track records of Technology Protection as if they were our new or emerging partners, simply put, australia and the United Kingdom have legal regulatory and Technology Control regimes that are comparable to those of the United States. Demands from the administration that australia, uk undertake extensive reform of their domestic political and regulatory system are, frankly, condescending and highlights the need for a clear shift in the states attitudes towards defense cooperation with its allies. I fully appreciate that we dont want to open the doors to using this as a trojan horse to do some things we dont want to do. I have served on this committee for 15 years now that i have been in the senate. I also at the same time have served on the intelligence committee. I would like to report to this committee that one of the very first things i noticed between the two committees is that there is a very distinct difference between the way we treat allies in the intelligence field versus how we treat them on other things, like export. I think, probably it would behoove visit the state and the department of defense to spend a little bit of time with the intelligence committee. We share incredibly, incredibly, sensitive and important material with the five eyes. So, here i dont have the concerns that some have. As far as the chairman is concerned im using this as a trojan horse, that is a legitimate concern and it certainly deserves attention. Having said that, i think that there may be an overreach there. I think that we really ought to take a deep breath and sit down and review how we could reconcile how we treat our allies in the intelligence field and make it more compatible with how we treat them in trade and industrial matters. The department of state in concert with the department of finance and commerce another relevant agencies should communicate to our auu. K. U. S. Partners are requirements to venture export control measures and adhere to them. In addition, these agencies should work to reduce barriers to defense, innovation, cooperation, traitor to production and sustained with the governments and Industry Partners of the United Kingdom and australia. If auu. K. U. S. Realizes its potential it will set a precedence and incentivize the number similar agreements with other close u. S. Allies. We need to get this right before we had other partners for these agreements are necessary if we are to prevail in the long term, edition with china, russia and their partners. If auu. K. U. S. Fails to achieve its lofty goals with not only shows to be an unreliable ally but also signals we are fundamentally unserious about competing with china. Thank you very much. Thank you. Less to enter eyewitnesses. Is my privilege to welcome back to the Community Assistant secretary for the Bureau Political military affairs, jessica lewis. Prior to assuming her role as assistant secretary she served on this committee as a democratic staff director for five years. Those of the most glorious years of her career. From 2007 22 2014. Assistant secretary lewis was a National Security advisor and Foreign Policy adviser and the senior National Security advisor to Senate Majority and minority leader harry reid. We also welcome assistant secretary of defense for strategy plans and capabilities, dr. Marla colin, who is currently performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for policy dr. Carlin is now working for her six secretary of defense where she has advised the department on policy spanning strategic planning, defense policy, budgeting, future conflicts and Regional Security affairs. She has previously performed the duties of deputy under secretary of defense for policy from august of 2021 to february 2022. Prior to that served as acting assistant secretary of defense for interNational Security affairs. Lastly, we are pleased to welcome ken matt molloy who is the Principal Deputy assistant secretary for the bureau of east asian and Pacific Affairs since june 15th of 2021. Mr. Moye has been in the Foreign Service for 29 years and his diplomatic stops have included tours in taipei, beijing, and seoul south korea. Prior to this role mr. Moye was the acting assistant secretary of state in the bureau of intelligence and research. Welcome to you all. I want to thank the witnesses for their participation in todays hearing, for their service to our country. Your full statement will be included in the record without objection. I would ask you to summarize them in about five minutes or so so the committee can have a conversation with you. We will start off with you, assistant secretary lewis. Thank you so much, mr. Chairman, for the kind introduction. Ranking member rish and honorable members of the committee. I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify today. As noted, im joined with my colleague dr. Carlin, mr. Moy. Im excited to talk to you about the role of the state department in auu. K. U. S. One of this administrations hallmark National Security and Foreign Policy initiatives. I wanted to start first by thanking both the chairman and the Ranking Member and the entire committee for your leadership role in making au u. K. U. S. Possible. Through your support for the legislation passed by this committee in the state authorization act and much of which wasnt included in the National Defense authorization act passed by the full senate in july. I want to start by giving an overview of auu. K. U. S. And then discuss legislation and the interim plan that we are also putting in place. One month ago i was with secretary blinking and secretary austin as they met with their australian counterparts in brisbane. During our time in australia are leaders advertised that au u. K. U. S. Is both the chairman and the Ranking Member noted, is poised to be a transformational initiative. Perhaps our most consequential and Indo Pacific Defense and Security Partnership in a generation. By modernizing longstanding partnerships auu. K. U. S. Will strengthen our defense , enhance deterrence and contribute to peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo Pacific Region and beyond. Auu. K. U. S. Comprises pillars to compel when we are providing australia with a Nuclear Powered conventionally armed submarine capability as soon as possible. In pillar two we are partnering with australia and the uk to jointly develop advanced military capabilities based on the most cuttingedge emerging technologies our nation possesses. In the past year we have made significant progress on both pillars. In march 2023 United States, australia, and the United Kingdom announced the optimal pathway to provide australia with a conventionally armed Nuclear Powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date. Modernizing australias submarine fleet will be a longterm multi decade undertaking and the au u. K. U. S. Partners are moving had to implement this used approach. In pillar two, as recent joint experiments on swarming uis, hypersonic technologies have demonstrated, we are leveraging the collective power of our Industrial Bases to create a trilateral ecosystem. It combines the competitive and comparative advantages of each nation to strengthen our joint capabilities. Let me turn to legislation. As was noted by both the chairman and the Ranking Member, for auu. K. U. S. Therese succeed we need to enable speedy, seamless, and to secure technology and information sharing between our countries. Earlier this year the administration submitted a pillar two legislative proposal to congress. As i said earlier, we are extremely grateful to this committee for ensuring brought bipartisan support the substance of our proposal was included in the National Defense authorization bill. We look forward to working with congress and hope that the final version reflects legislation needed across all four of the administrations submitted proposals, so we can deliver on the promise of au u. K. U. S. To put it simply, under the Senate Language most defense items will be able to move forward with out needing a license. An approve