The State Department has issued a final rule that, effective Dec. 30, 2025, amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to further facilitate defense trade among the U.S, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
According to State, this rule finalizes an August 2024 interim final rule with amendments and responses to comments received. That rule provided that no license or other approval from State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is required for the export, reexport, retransfer, or temporary import of defense articles; the performance of defense services; or engagement in brokering activities between or among a specific list of authorized users within these three countries. The vast majority of defense articles and services described on the U.S. Munitions List are eligible for this exemption.
Among other things, the final rule (1) explicitly states that Australian federal-level and UK national-level departments or agencies are eligible for this license exemption without needing to be identified on the authorized user list, and (2) adds a new license exemption authorizing reexports, retransfers, and temporary imports in support of the armed forces of Australia, the U.K., or the U.S., subject to specified requirements and limitations.
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