Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves will travel with 15 American companies on a cybersecurity “trade mission” to Japan and South Korea Sept. 20-26, the agency announced this week. The mission will help deepen commercial ties between the countries in cybersecurity and “other critical emerging technologies by strengthening joint efforts to safeguard our critical infrastructure and tech ecosystems from those who seek to undermine our national and economic security,” Commerce said. Leaders from the three countries met in August and agreed to boost export control cooperation and work closely in other “protection measures” to safeguard cutting-edge technologies (see 2308180046).
The State Department approved potential military sales to South Korea and Poland worth more than $5.3 billion combined, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. The $5.06 billion sale to South Korea includes F-35 aircraft and related equipment, and the principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Pratt & Whitney Military Engines. The $389 million sale to Poland includes F-16 “sustainment” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin.
The U.S. should push World Trade Organization members to "revisit what constitutes good and bad subsidies," which may help encourage transparency and improve "enforcement through incentives for compliance and penalties for noncompliance," the Council on Foreign Relations said in a new report.
The State Department approved a potential military sale worth $4 billion to Poland, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Sept. 11. The sale includes “Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS)” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is soliciting comments on significant foreign barriers to U.S. exports of goods and services to help write the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers. Comments are due by the end of the day Oct. 23, and should be submitted at regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2023-0010.
PACCAR, along with Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Trucks & Buses US Holding, and EVE Energy agreed on Sept. 6 to form a joint venture company to establish and operate a battery cell manufacturing facility in the U.S., and plan to submit a voluntary notice to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., according to law firm Squire Patton. The total investment in the facility is expected to be between $2 billion and $3 billion, PACCAR said in a Sept. 7 news release.
A Torres Trade Law guide to maintaining registrations with the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is available on legal intelligence site JD Supra. It outlines how companies involved with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations should be updating their DDTC registrations when certain changes occur within the registered company, such as a change of control, a merger or a change in leadership. Even if no changes have occurred within the company, the law firm noted, ITAR registrations must be renewed annually.
The State Department approved a $1.5 billion potential military sale to Bulgaria of "Stryker Vehicles" and related equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Sept. 1. The principal contractor will be General Dynamics Land Systems.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union on Aug. 31 officially voted to ratify the tentative labor agreement they reached with the Pacific Maritime Administration in June (see 2306150038), the ILWU said. The union said it voted 75% in favor of the new deal, which expires July 1, 2028, adding that it "protects good-paying jobs in 29 West Coast port communities, maintains health benefits, and improves wages, pensions and safety protections."
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on the potential market impact of the proposed FY 2025 National Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan, the agency said in a Sept. 1 notice. Comments will help inform the government of the “projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions, conversions, and disposals involving the National Defense Stockpile,” BIS said. Comments are due Oct. 5.