[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 206 (Thursday, December 14, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EXECUTION OF AUKUS AGREEMENT

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, in a few minutes, the House is going to 
vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, which I strongly 
support.
  It is the product of bipartisan, bicameral compromise, which is 
exactly what the American people crave, and I congratulate Chairman 
Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their outstanding work.
  Among its many positive provisions, this bill in particular will 
execute the new AUKUS agreement between the U.S., U.K., and Australia. 
For the first time since 1958, the U.S. will share nuclear propulsion 
technology with another nation, our great ally, Australia. It also 
allows for the first time ever the sale to Australia of U.S.-built 
nuclear submarines--three, to be exact.
  This effort will rebalance the strategic environment in the Indo-
Pacific in favor of free, democratic nations that today are being 
constantly pressurized by the aggressive actions of the world's largest 
navy, namely, the Chinese PLAN.
  To be clear, the intent of AUKUS is to guarantee deterrence, peace, 
and freedom of navigation that has prevailed across the globe for the 
last 78 years.
  Mr. Speaker, this year's NDAA will be long remembered for this 
effort, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for 
this bill.

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