Australian and the US have today signed off on a defence trade treaty today.
It's taken six years for Australia and the United States to seal a treaty to make it easier for local defence companies to acquire advanced US technology.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith and US ambassador Jeffrey Bleich on Thursday formally exchanged diplomatic notes bringing the Australia-US Defence Trade Treaty into effect.
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Previously, Australian defence companies had to negotiate complex US defence export procedures and apply on every single occasion for approval to collaborate and export.
