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.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week modified its temporary denial order against Russian airline Azur Air to update the airline’s address. The order now lists Azur Air as located in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. It was previously listed with a Moscow address. BIS last renewed the order for one year in September, barring the airline from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (see 2409200059).
USDA is reminding traders that they have until Feb. 17 to complete questionnaires under China’s ongoing imported beef safeguard investigation, which launched in December (see 2412300027 and 2501020023). The USDA notice includes a translation of the Chinese investigation announcement, links to the three questionnaires and an unofficial translation of the questionnaire for beef exporters. “All U.S. beef exporters are encouraged to undertake their own review of the notice and deadlines,” the agency said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke this week with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) arrangement, China’s “malign influence,” Russia’s war against Ukraine and a “range of pressing global issues,” a State Department spokesperson said Jan. 27. The spokesperson said they both “heralded joint initiatives, including the AUKUS partnership, which promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.” AUKUS, a deal stood up by the Biden administration, allows the three countries to benefit from reduced export licensing restrictions for certain defense and dual-use exports (see 2412040044, 2408160019 and 2410010030).
The U.S. in FY 2024 saw record numbers for both its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program and authorizations of direct commercial sales (DCS), the State Department said in a fact sheet last week. The agency said it recorded the highest ever annual amount of FMS sales at $117.9 billion, a 45.7% increase from FY 2023, and $200.8 billion in DCS authorizations, a 27.5% increase from the previous fiscal year.
Although the Supreme Court last week granted the U.S. government’s motion to lift a nationwide injunction on the Corporate Transparency Act's new beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, the Treasury Department said it’s still blocked from enforcing the new rules because they remain blocked by a separate court.
President Donald Trump last week revoked the Biden administration’s 2023 executive order on artificial intelligence, which could have ramifications for recent AI-related export controls issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security.
The Coalition for a Prosperous America, a think tank aligned with Trump's trade policy, issued a new report on agricultural trade, arguing that policies that aimed to lower U.S. tariffs in exchange for better market access for U.S. agricultural exports almost exclusively benefited soybeans, corn and wheat, while hurting fruit and vegetable farmers and livestock operations.
The International Trade Administration published its 2025 Defense Export Handbook, which it said serves as a “toolkit” for companies looking to comply with government regulations for defense exports. It gives guidance to businesses that are new to exporting defense items and includes “tips to navigate” U.S. export requirements, including those governing foreign military sales, direct commercial sales, shipments regulated by the Bureau of Industry and Security and Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, and more.