The State Department approved a possible $84 million military sale to Romania, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said this week. The sale includes "GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs" and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Boeing.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas lifted its preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act on Feb. 18, meaning CTA reporting requirements are now "once again back in effect," the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said.
The State Department approved two possible military sales to Israel, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week. One sale includes $660 million of “AGM-114 Hellfire Missiles” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin. Another sale is for $6.75 billion worth of various munitions, guidance kits, fuzes, “munitions support” and related equipment. The sale will include items from U.S. inventory and principal contractors Boeing, ATK Tactical Systems Company, L3Harris Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, and McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles last week to discuss the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) agreement, under which the countries share defense technology. Hegseth said President Donald Trump is “very familiar with the agreement and equally supportive of it,” according to a Pentagon press release published after the meeting. Hegseth added that “this is not a mission in the Indo-Pacific that America can undertake by itself. It has to [include] robust allies and partners. Technology sharing and subs are a huge part of it."
The State Department approved a possible $1 billion military sale to Kuwait, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week. The sale includes various design and construction services for military bases, including the Mohammed Al Ahmed Naval Base, which the Kuwait government has requested to buy services to support the procurement of maritime and land facilities for. The principal contractors haven't yet been determined.
DOJ is disbanding the National Security Division’s Corporate Enforcement Unit, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Feb. 5 memo to agency employees. The elimination of the unit and others is part of an effort to “free resources to address more pressing priorities,” said the five-page memo, which also describes other changes to policies around charging, plea negotiations and sentencing. “Personnel assigned to the Unit shall return to their previous posts.”
U.S. fashion brand owner PVH Group is working with Chinese authorities to find a “positive resolution” after being added to China’s so-called unreliable entity list this week (see 2502040011), a company spokesperson said in an email.
The State Department approved two possible military sales to Egypt, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. One sale includes $304 million worth of "AN/TPS-78 Long Range Radar" and related elements of logistics and program support, and the principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman. Another includes $625 million worth of equipment and services for "fast missile craft," and the principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin and L3Harris.
The State Department approved a possible $900 million military sale to Japan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Jan. 31. The sale includes "Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) Block I Missiles" and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be RTX Corp.
Australian excise duties on alcoholic drinks were set to increase Feb. 1, leading to higher prices for imported U.S. distilled spirit products at retail stores and bars, USDA said in a report last week. The agency said Australia makes changes to its alcohol excise duty rates twice a year based on the “upward trajectory” of the Consumer Price Index. USDA said the Australian distilling industry is calling for an “immediate two-year freeze” on any hikes and a “broader review of spirits excise settings to create the conditions for greater investment in the industry.”