The United Kingdom government has drafted an extension to the UK-US Mutual Defense Agreement (MDA), which would renew the treaty and re-enable the bilateral exchange of nuclear materials, technology and information for another 10 years if approved by both countries, according to an Oct. 20 document submitted from the UK’s International Affairs and Defence Section to the UK parliament. On Oct. 16, the UK government published several proposed amendments, the most significant of which is a renewal provision. If neither house of UK parliament passes a resolution opposing ratification within 21 sitting days from that date, the government can ratify the treaty; however, only the House of Commons has the ability to indefinitely block passage.
On July 24, President Obama wrote a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to extend the treaty and submitted related legislation to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has not undertaken action. “The United Kingdom intends to continue to maintain viable nuclear forces into the foreseeable future,” Obama wrote in the letter. “Based on our previous close cooperation, and the fact that the United Kingdom continues to commit its nuclear forces to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, I have concluded it is in the United States national interest to continue to assist the United Kingdom in maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent.” The MDA was last extended in 2004, and the UK and US must both approve the agreement by year’s end to continue the treaty, the UK government document states.
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