Republican legislators have introduced the Missile Technology Control Revision Act, which would remove outdated regulatory barriers preventing allies from getting access to critical missile technology. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., one of the bill’s proponents, said Monday that the legislation can serve as a “force multiplier” that empowers the United States and its allies to address shared threats today and in the future.
“We cannot allow bureaucratic red tape to hinder our national security,” Huizenga commented. “By modernizing the Missile Technology Control Regime to meet the security challenges of today, we can strengthen our defense capabilities and increase our cooperation with our allies, especially Australia and the United Kingdom.”
Easing Missile Export Control
The Missile Technology Control Revision Act would amend the decades-old Arms Export Control Act of 1976, which covers the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR. Signed in 1987, the MTCR is a non-binding arrangement designed to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. However, the legislators noted that the control regime offers no independent means to assess if member states follow or break guidelines and its strict implementation prevented the U.S. from sharing critical capabilities to allies.
All the while, adversaries are bolstering their military capabilities, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, explained.
“The Chinese Communist Party is working at lightning speed to advance its military apparatus — and it does not play fair,” the chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs Committee stated. “The Mission Technology Control Revision Act empowers the United States and its allies to meet that generational challenge head-on by removing burdensome red tape that slows down the transfer of critical military technologies.”
The proposed legislation will expedite the trade of defense equipment with eligible countries. McCaul added that the bill will strengthen U.S. partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom and increase deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
