The Bureau of Industry and Security is preparing a mandatory survey for hundreds of U.S. space companies, suppliers and researchers to collect data on supply chains used by the U.S. space industrial base, the agency said this week. The effort -- which is a partnership among BIS, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- will help the agencies “identify the structure and interdependencies” of the space industrial base, especially those that work with NASA or NOAA.
The Biden administration is “close” to issuing new rules to restrict outbound investments in certain technologies that could help China advance its chip capabilities, The Associated Press reported March 4. The rules will limit American investment in certain “advanced technologies that have national security applications,” the report said, including “next-generation military capabilities.” U.S. officials have confirmed they are working on an outbound investment review mechanism (see 2302140083 and 2301120035), and The Wall Street Journal reported March 3 that the White House is expected to seek additional funding for the new tool in its upcoming budget request, expected to be released this week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection involving voluntary self-disclosures of antiboycott violations. Comments are due May 8.
The State Department approved a potential $506 million military sale to Australia, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week. The sale includes “Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles-Extended Range” and related equipment. The prime U.S. contractor will be Northrop Grumman Information Systems. An earlier version of the sale that listed the wrong prime contractor was removed from the DSCA website Feb. 28 and replaced March 2 with this corrected notice.
DOJ last week announced “significant changes” to how it assesses corporate compliance programs’ approach to communications platforms, which could impact whether the agency offers to resolve an investigation without criminal charges. Under the revised policies, companies that claim to not have access to emails and other electronic information related to a DOJ probe may have to prove to the agency that they can’t access those messages, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the future economic relationship with China has to be navigated in the context of the U.S. needing "a thriving economy that is based on market competition principles. How do we accomplish this, given that the second-largest economy in the world operates on a very, very different system ... and makes its own decisions?"
The State Department approved a potential $619 million military sale to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said March 1. The sale includes “F-16 Munitions” and related equipment, and the principal contractors will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Lockheed Martin.
The State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System registration and licensing applications will be unavailable to users from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST March 2 for scheduled system maintenance. Users should ensure any work in progress is saved before the down time period.
The State Department approved a potential $125.13 million military sale to the U.K., the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Feb. 28. The sale includes Javelin missiles and U.S. government technical assistance. The prime contractor will be Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture.
The Biden administration is expected to further scale back its upcoming outbound investment screening executive order to focus on “increasing transparency” for certain outbound investments in China instead of potentially blocking investments in several sectors, Politico reported Feb. 28. The report said the EO may still block certain investments in China’s advanced semiconductor industry, but it will “likely not block money from flowing to other parts of China’s high-tech economy,” including the artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology industries.