diff --git a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/ajc/AspectJCompiler.java b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/ajc/AspectJCompiler.java
index 156e166e..83053d48 100644
--- a/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/ajc/AspectJCompiler.java
+++ b/plexus-compilers/plexus-compiler-aspectj/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/compiler/ajc/AspectJCompiler.java
@@ -340,7 +340,10 @@ public AspectJMessagePrinter( boolean verbose )
     private AjBuildConfig buildCompilerConfig( CompilerConfiguration config )
         throws CompilerException
     {
-        AjBuildConfig buildConfig = new AjBuildConfig(new BuildArgParser(new AspectJMessagePrinter(config.isVerbose())));
+        BuildArgParser buildArgParser = new BuildArgParser(new AspectJMessagePrinter(config.isVerbose()));
+        AjBuildConfig buildConfig = new AjBuildConfig(buildArgParser);
+        // Avoid NPE when AjBuildConfig.getCheckedClasspaths() is called later during compilation
+        buildArgParser.populateBuildConfig(buildConfig, new String[0], true, null);
         buildConfig.setIncrementalMode( false );
 
         String[] files = getSourceFiles( config );
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 4c11a79a..cec63a21 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
     <redirectTestOutputToFile>true</redirectTestOutputToFile>
     <project.build.outputTimestamp>2022-04-30T04:30:22Z</project.build.outputTimestamp>
     <jupiter.version>5.8.2</jupiter.version>
-    <aspectj.version>1.9.7</aspectj.version>
+    <aspectj.version>1.9.9.1</aspectj.version>
     <maven.version>3.2.5</maven.version>
     <errorprone.version>2.14.0</errorprone.version>
     <trimStackTrace>false</trimStackTrace>