U.S.-UK-Canada-Australia Quadrilateral Conference

Australian, American, British and Canadian defense industries have a shared history of business cooperation and investment that dates back decades and continues today. All sides have prospered from their past and ongoing business relationships and the industries of all four countries have played an important role in support of their armed forces in Afghanistan where co-operation between the four nations has been vital for success.

The rebalancing of national defense budgets is leading the four nations to seek better value for money for their security. Will NATO’s “Smart Defense” proposal for greater prioritisation, specialisation and cooperation provide a long-term capability strategy?  Has the UK-U.S. Defence Trade Cooperation assisted the trade in defense articles and will it, and the Australia-U.S. Defense Trade Co-operation Treaty, bring about the much hoped for benefits to collaborate with the United States? What is the future for Canada’s own long-standing special defense trade arrangements with the U.S. and where is the U.S. going with its ITAR reforms? What business opportunities might arise from closer national collaboration?

These questions will be addressed by senior industry and government officials of the four nations at this Quadrilateral Defense Trade Conference to be held in Washington DC on 25 October, 2012. It follows the annual trilateral and quadrilateral conferences held since 2009. In 2012, the NDIA will host the event, in partnership with ADS (UK), AIDN (Australia) and CADSI (Canada).

The objective of this conference is to look at these developments, to assess their impact on the defence markets of the four countries and to explore opportunities for the national industries to work even closer together.