Michael Pender, a longtime senior engineer with the Bureau of Industry and Security, is retiring from government April 30, he announced on LinkedIn. He works in the Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls, where he said he helps to review dual-use exports, with a focus on items containing advanced encryption features or related to information security. Pender has worked at BIS for more than two decades.
The European Commission hasn't been officially informed by the Bureau of Industry and Security about the agency's plans to pull back from export control talks at the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, a commission spokesperson said this week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week added 30 parties to its boycott requester list, a list of entities that have asked other companies to boycott goods from certain countries in violation of the Export Administration Regulations. It also removed 18 parties after they certified that they "stopped making boycott-related requests in transactions with U.S. persons," BIS said.
Members of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Materials and Equipment Technical Advisory Committee were asked during their April 3 meeting to sign or re-sign non-disclosure agreements as Trump administration officials review how the TACs operate.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week revoked the export privileges of a Kenya-based company and two people for trying to illegally export airplane parts from the U.S. to Russia, including by lying to American freight forwarders and other businesses about where the parts would be sent. It also warned that the company and people are continuing to try to illegally buy export controlled parts from American businesses.
The Trump administration should reverse a planned $20 million funding cut for the Bureau of Industry and Security, which will hamper the agency’s ability to enforce export controls and weaken American technology competitiveness, a tech policy non-profit said this week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security reinstated a pause on export license applications last week, four people with knowledge of the situation said, days after officials announced at the agency’s March update conference that licensing was expected to soon return to normal.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on March 31 renewed the temporary denial order for Russian air cargo carrier Aviastar for one year after finding it continues to violate U.S. export controls. The agency said the airline has continued to illegally operate aircraft subject to the Export Administration Regulations, including for flights within Russia and between Russia and India.
The Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence criticized the Bureau of Industry and Security's decision last week to add the research organization to the Entity List and urged BIS to remove it (see 2503250075). "Artificial intelligence is a shared resource for humanity, akin to electricity and other transformative technological advancements," the academy said, according to a report from state-run news outlet China Daily. "The US decision contradicts the spirit of scientific innovation and global cooperation, severely undermining openness in AI research and development.” The academy was added for allegedly trying to buy export-controlled U.S. items to develop large AI models and advanced semiconductors for China’s military.
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