[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8665 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2026

  Mr. Zinke (for himself and Mr. Bera) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   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.

    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;
            (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.
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