The State Department Aug. 8 sent a final rule for interagency review that will reorganize and consolidate definitions in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The rule, part of a broader agency effort to reorganize the ITAR (see 2203220013 and 2205160026), will consolidate the definitions into “one part” and “organize the definitions in a manner that enhances their clarity and ease of use,” the State Department said.

The State Department this week authorized another drawdown of up to $1 billion worth of U.S. arms and defense equipment to Ukraine. The package includes weapons, munitions and equipment from Defense Department inventories, the agency said, and is the “largest single drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment utilizing this authority.”

The Federal Maritime Commission will officially begin requesting public comments Aug. 8 on a new carrier data collection plan mandated by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (see 2208030016). The FMC will collect new information from carriers on the total import and export tonnage and the total loaded and empty 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) per vessel. Comments are due Oct. 7.

A federal government payment website, Pay.gov, will conduct a “routine update” 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT Aug. 6 and may be unavailable to users during that time, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said. DDTC said the outage will affect users paying registration fees during that window. Questions or concerns should be directed to Pay.gov customer support at (800) 624-1373 or pay.gov.clev@clev.frb.org.

The State Department approved two potential military sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worth more than a combined $5 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Aug. 2.

The State Department approved two potential military sales to the U.K. and Greece worth more than a combined $450 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Aug. 1.

The Federal Maritime Commission reorganized its enforcement divisions by consolidating them into a new agency: the Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations and Compliance. Created last week, it will be led by an attorney with regulatory, prosecutorial and investigatory experience. FMC Managing Director Lucille Marvin will be acting director until a permanent director is hired.

The State Department approved a potential military sale to Germany worth about $8.4 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said July 28. The sale includes 35 F-35 aircraft and related equipment. The principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, Boeing and Raytheon Missiles and Defense.

The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), this time by one month, the two ports announced July 29. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee in November 2021 but have postponed it each week since. The latest extension delays the effective date until Aug. 26. The ports said they will "reassess fee implementation after monitoring data over the next month."

The State Department approved two potential military sales, to Singapore and Japan, worth nearly $1 billion combined, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said July 25.