# § 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 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, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).
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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XIII, § 1321, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 501.)
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Short Title
> “This part [part 3 (§§ 1351–1354) of subtitle B of title XIII of div. A of
>
> , enacting subchapter III of this title and amending
>
> , Armed Forces] may be cited as the ‘AUKUS Submarine Transfer Authorization Act’.”
, , , provided that: