ALLIED DEFENSE SALES ACT

On 2026-06-08, Representative Ami Bera (D-CA-6) delivered a floor speech titled "ALLIED DEFENSE SALES ACT" in the House.

ALLIED DEFENSE SALES ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3965-H3967] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ALLIED DEFENSE SALES ACT Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8665) to require the implementation of a strategy to encourage foreign partners to participate in the foreign military sales and direct commercial sales processes on a multinational basis, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8665 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Allied Defense Sales Act''. SEC. 2. STRATEGY AND REPORT ON MULTINATIONAL PROCUREMENT FROM THE UNITED STATES. (a) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall implement a strategy to encourage foreign partners to participate in the foreign military sales and direct commercial sales processes on a multinational basis. Such strategy shall incorporate existing efforts by the Department of State to-- (1) survey interest in participating in such multinational procurement processes among potentially eligible countries; (2) identify countries and partners who may be eligible to serve as the lead purchase coordinator for a multinational procurement process, and potential incentives for their participation as lead coordinator; (3) review pathways for participation in foreign military sales or direct commercial sales processes for countries determined to be ineligible for foreign military financing loans; (4) identify challenges and solutions for the Department in carrying out such processes in accordance with the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), including applicable end-use monitoring, technical assistance agreements, and license filing requirements; (5) identify ways to provide for expedited license authorizations, sales other than for programs of record, and other potential efforts to increase speed and ease enhanced use of multinational procurement processes; [[Page H3966]] (6) detailing the benefits of multinational procurement processes to the national security interest, including enhanced military interoperability and strengthening the domestic industrial base; and (7) identify opportunities to develop and promote exportable defense articles and services, including for purposes of supporting the AUKUS partnership. (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter for 3 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the strategy required by subsection (a) and its implementation. Such report shall also include-- (1) an update on the development and implementation of the initial strategy during the period following the most recent prior submission of such report (if any); (2) a description of challenges faced in the implementation of the strategy; (3) a description of all efforts the Department has undertaken to overcome such challenges; (4) a list and description of any potential legislative changes necessary to fully implement a multinational procurement process for foreign military sales and direct commercial sales; and (5) a description of efforts to promote exportable defense articles and services specifically for use in multinational procurement processes, including those supporting the AUKUS partnership. (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form and may include a classified annex. (d) Definitions.--In this section-- (1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; (2) the term ``AUKUS partnership'' means the enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced in September 2021; and (3) the term ``multinational procurement process'' refers to a process by which defense articles or services are sold by the United States to a lead foreign nation, with the intent that the articles or services so sold will subsequently be retransferred to a previously identified group of participating countries, or to countries identified by reference to a qualifying multilateral partnership agreement, such as a cross-servicing agreement described in section 2350 of title 10, United States Code. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Bera) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. General Leave Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 8665. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida? There was no objection. Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it has long been recognized by our partners and allies that the American foreign military sales system is slow, inefficient, and opaque. While the benefits outweigh the costs for many of our closest allies, it takes a real investment of personnel, time, and resources for our foreign partners to be able to successfully participate in our foreign military sales. American-made defense systems remain the most effective, advanced, and sought-after in the world, but we need to keep expanding our base of foreign partners that purchase American defense systems. H.R. 8665, the Allied Defense Sales Act, is a bipartisan effort to break down barriers for smaller allies and smaller countries that do not have a longstanding defense sales relationship with the United States. This bill allows smaller countries to pool resources and participate in the foreign military sales system, expanding America's circle of equipped, interoperable allies without requiring new foreign aid spending. I thank my colleague Mr. Zinke of Montana, the sponsor of this bill, who led the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Foreign Arms Sales Task Force and has continued the important work of ensuring America remains the partner of choice for foreign defense sales. This legislation passed the Foreign Affairs Committee with broad bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it on the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. BERA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill I co-led with Representative Zinke regarding the promotion of multicountry defense article purchases, which can result in lower prices, greater efficiencies, and interoperability for our allies and partners. While most foreign defense sales are conducted by individual countries as purchasers, multicountry purchases can provide more competitive pricing, coordination, and other benefits, including for smaller countries that are less frequent purchasers, as well as multinational alliances. This bill directs the Secretary of State to develop and implement a strategy to encourage U.S. foreign partners to participate in the foreign military sales, FMS, and direct commercial sales, DCS, processes on a multinational basis. The bill also includes reporting requirements providing Congress with details on this strategy and its implementation. While multinational purchases are not currently prohibited by statute, this bill requires a strategy for socializing, promoting, and making available said options for multinational cases to purchasing countries and an accompanying report to Congress. This will be beneficial to both the U.S. and our partners and allies and provides helpful additional information to Congress as we conduct necessary oversight over this initiative. Therefore, I am pleased to support it, and I encourage my colleagues to do so, as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), who is the chairwoman of the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee. Mrs. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8665, the Allied Defense Sales Act. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Foreign Military Sales Task Force, I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan bill introduced by our task force chair, Representative Zinke. H.R. 8665 is a practical step forward to strengthen our defense industrial base while reinforcing partnerships with trusted partners. America produces the most advanced and reliable defense systems in the world. Our partners across Europe, Asia, and beyond consistently prefer U.S. equipment for its quality, performance, and the security relationships that come with it. Yet, many smaller nations face significant obstacles when pursuing individual purchases. The administrative burden, minimum order sizes, and unpredictable timelines often discourage sales that would otherwise benefit both our allies and American industry. H.R. 8665 addresses these challenges head-on. The bill directs the State Department to develop a clear strategy for enabling multinational procurement. A partner nation would agree to serve as the lead nation to enable a multinational procurement, ensuring other qualified allies are able to participate in important foreign military sales. By combining demand, we can achieve more predictable production schedules, lower unit costs, faster deliveries, and greater overall efficiency for manufacturers here at home. This model also improves interoperability among our partners, allowing them to work more seamlessly alongside U.S. forces and with one another. This legislation requires the Department to assess allied interest, i

Referenced legislation: HR8665, HR8665