U.S.-U.K. sign declaration of defense equipment principles

Sea Power, Apr 2000

U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Geoffrey Hoon have signed an agreement to improve cooperation between the two countries in several areas of mutual defense interest.

The Declaration of Principles for Defense Equipment and Industrial Cooperation "mandates cooperation on such matters as coordination of military requirements and acquisition processes, export procedures, protection of national security and defense technology information, trans-Atlantic industrial partnerships, research and development, and reciprocal defense trade," Department of Defense officials said.

The declaration was the result of 12 months of negotiations, the officials said, over such activities as "strict enforcement of export policies for armaments and technologies, strong industrial security systems and compatible industrial security practices, close relationships in law enforcement and cooperation on industrial security matters, and defense market access."