The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on April 10 issued a new white paper with a list of “commendations” and recommendations it gave to universities and research centers during visits over the last few years to check their compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. DDTC said universities and researchers can use the eight-page paper to learn about best practices and government expectations for ITAR compliance. The agency said the visits took place between 2020 and early 2024.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is drafting a rule that could ease certain export restrictions on Australia and the U.K. as the State Department works to loosen similar restrictions under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as part of the AUKUS partnership.
A senior State Department official this week said an ongoing effort among the U.S., Australia and the U.K. to reduce defense trade restrictions will soon lead to an “unprecedented” level of technology sharing, adding that the three countries are open to adding more nations, including potentially Japan.
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The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is looking to speed up its processing of advisory opinion requests, a government official said during the Bureau of Industry and Security's annual conference last week.
Fares Abdo Al Eyani of Oakland, California, was sentenced March 29 to 12 months and a day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for "conspiring to export defense articles and attempting to export defense articles" to Oman, DOJ announced.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is working on a host of proposed or final regulations that could be published in the next few months, officials said last week, including revisions to its defense services controls and an exemption for certain defense trade with Australia and the U.K.
U.S. export controls on clean technology goods to China would likely be “ineffective” and could backfire on American businesses trying to develop the next generation of green energy products, a researcher for a major European think tank said in a new report this month. The report argues that solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies don’t warrant new controls because they have “no dual-use or human-rights applications,” and restrictions could further strain the already fraught U.S.-China relationship.
The State Department on March 22 completed a round of interagency review for a proposed rule that could make changes to registration fees under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The agency had sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Oct. 17 (see 2310190005). An agency official last year said the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls was preparing to soon propose changes to those fees (see 2310120063).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published new guidance this week to clarify how and when joint ventures must be included on registration statements. The new frequently asked questions cover companies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and that are governed by a joint venture agreement.