---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 10401"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "10401"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/10401"
units:
  - "Chapter 111 — Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (aukus) Security Partnership"
---

# §10401. Definitions


In this chapter:

- (1) **Appropriate congressional committees—** Except as otherwise provided, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—
  - (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
  - (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
- (2) **AUKUS partnership—**
  - (A) **In general—** The term “AUKUS partnership” means the enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced in September 2021.
  - (B) **Pillars—** The [AUKUS partnership](#2-A) includes the following two pillars:
    - (i) Pillar One is focused on developing a pathway for Australia to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
    - (ii) Pillar Two is focused on enhancing trilateral collaboration on advanced defense capabilities, including hypersonic and counter hypersonic capabilities, quantum technologies, undersea technologies, and artificial intelligence.
- (3) **International Traffic in Arms Regulations—** The term “International Traffic in Arms Regulations” means subchapter M of chapter I of [title 22](/usc/22.md), Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XIII, § 1321, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 501.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Short Title

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XIII, § 1351, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 514, provided that: “This part [part 3 (§§ 1351–1354) of subtitle B of title XIII of div. A of Pub. L. 118–31, enacting subchapter III of this title and amending section 8680 of Title 10, Armed Forces] may be cited as the ‘AUKUS Submarine Transfer Authorization Act’.”