The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on the impact of the Chemical Weapons Convention on commercial activities during 2023. The agency is specifically looking for feedback on how activities involving Schedule 1 chemicals were affected to determine whether CWC decisions "harmed" the “legitimate commercial activities and interests of chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms” this year. Comments are due by Jan. 19.

The State Department recently approved possible military sales worth a combined nearly $3 billion to Japan, Taiwan, Greece and Italy, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security last week opened registration for its rescheduled March 27-29 update conference on export controls and policy. The conference originally was set for Nov. 28-30 (see 2311080088).

The State Department approved a potential military sale to Poland worth $255 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 13. The sale includes communications equipment and “related elements of logistics and program support,” and the principal contractor will be L3 Harris Technologies.

The State Department approved a potential $80 million military sale to Romania, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 12. The sale includes Javelin missiles and related equipment, and the prime contractors will be Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture.

Kyrgyzstan this month informed USDA that the country is no longer accepting a U.S. meat and poultry export certificate, the agency’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported. USDA said the nation “will no longer accept the U.S. Department of Agriculture's, Food Safety Inspection Service, 9060-5 Meat and Poultry Export Certificate of Wholesomeness.” The agency said it’s “actively engaged in trying to reopen the market and is working to resolve the issue with utmost haste.”

The State Department approved a potential $106.5 million military sale to Israel, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 9. The sale includes “120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges” and related equipment. The items in the proposed sale will come from U.S. Army inventory.

The Commerce Department on Dec. 11 announced its first federal grant under the Chips Act, saying it will award defense contractor BAE Systems about $35 million to improve its chip production facility in Nashua, New Hampshire. The funding was announced about three months after the agency finalized its guardrails for the grants (see 2309220035), which are designed to improve the state and capacity of American semiconductor manufacturing and innovation.

The State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System's advisory opinions application will undergo system maintenance from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST Dec. 11, the agency said last week. Users should refresh their browser if they "experience any delays in the application," DDTC said.

The State Department approved a potential $300 million military sale to Germany of “MK 54 Lightweight Torpedoes” and related equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 7. The principal contractor will be Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.