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The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) is a long-standing international organisation concerned with cooperation on defence science and technology matters, including national security and civil defence. Its membership comprises Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US).
TTCP commenced in 1957 as a bilateral activity between the United Kingdom and the United States when the US President and the UK Prime Minister made the following Declaration of Common Purpose:[1]
The arrangements which the nations of the free world have made for collective defense and mutual help are based on the recognition that the concept of national self sufficiency is now out of date. The countries of the free world are interdependent and only in genuine partnership, by combining their resources and sharing tasks in many fields, can progress and safety be found. For our part we have agreed that our two countries will henceforth act in accordance with this principle.
Immediately following the Declaration of Common Purpose, the Canadian government subscribed to the principle of interdependence and was admitted by the UK and the US. The resulting arrangement was known as the Tripartite Technical Cooperation Program (or TTCP for short).
Australia joined TTCP in 1965; the organisation's name was changed from Tripartite Technical Cooperation Program to The Technical Cooperation Program, which allowed the abbreviation for the organisation to be kept as TTCP. New Zealand joined TTCP in 1969.
The organisation of TTCP is headed up by a senior official from each of the five participating nations, known collectively as the Principals. Supporting the Principals are their TTCP Deputies, based in Washington, and a secretariat.
Reporting to the Principals are a number of multilateral "TTCP Groups", each comprising Technical Panels and time limited Action Groups. In April 2009 there were 11 TTCP Groups:
各技術パネルは、共通の国益が明確に定められた優先分野において、主要な共同プロジェクトを確立し、監視することが期待されている。アクショングループは、技術パネルよりも活動範囲が限定されており、明確な目標と事前に設定されたマイルストーンを持つ。アクショングループは、特定の優先度の高い問題に対処するために「TTCPグループ」によって編成され、任務完了時に解散する。
2010年代初頭の米国とオーストラリアの国防費削減に伴い、TTCPにおける国際的な対面交流は大幅に減少した。
TTCP加盟国のうち3カ国（カナダ、英国、米国）はNATO研究技術機構の加盟国でもある。4カ国（オーストラリア、カナダ、英国、米国）は27カ国からなる多国間相互運用性プログラムの加盟国でもある。[ 2 ] TTCP加盟国5カ国のうち、欧州防衛機関の加盟国であったのは英国のみである。
TTCPを構成する5カ国は、情報機関として「ファイブ・アイズ」と呼ばれることが多く、以下の関連活動にも参加している。