The recent departure of many career employees at the Bureau of Industry and Security and other government agencies hasn’t necessarily translated into less export control and sanctions enforcement activity, lawyers said last week.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls this week released its notifications to Congress of recently proposed export licenses. The notifications, which cover licenses submitted from October through December, include exports to Germany, the Netherlands, India, Denmark, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The U.S. government needs more exemptions for close allies to quickly buy controlled defense items and weapons, both under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Foreign Military Sales program, witnesses and lawmakers said during a congressional hearing on defense exports last week. Without significant ITAR and FMS reform, several lawmakers said they fear more countries will source more of their defense purchases from other countries, including potentially China.
Chris Pratt, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said May 15 that the Trump administration has directed him to address the delays and other complaints that are frequently made about the U.S. defense export process, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
The State Department this week added Cuba back to the list of countries that aren’t cooperating fully with U.S. counterterrorism efforts, about one year after the Biden administration delisted the island nation (see 2405170040).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls this month updated its list of commodity jurisdiction determinations for items and services controlled under the U.S. Munitions List. The new determinations cover certain amplifiers, drones, parts related to fuel tanks, freight advisory services, transceivers, helicopter training, engines and more. DDTC also said some of the items should be classified by the Bureau of Industry and Security under the Export Administration Regulations as EAR99 or other specific Export Control Classification Numbers.
National security attorneys Maria Alejandra del-Cerro and Elyssa Kutner have joined DLA Piper as partners in the national security and global trade practice, the firm announced. Del-Cerro is a former attorney in the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and joins DLA Piper from Crowell & Moring, where she'd worked as a partner since 2022. Kutner joins the firm from Sidley Austin, where she worked as an associate, then as counsel, since 2020.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week, in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Karen Wrege is leaving her position this fall as chief information officer at the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, she announced on LinkedIn. Wrege has been with the agency since 2014. She said she plans to work both in cybersecurity compliance and on fundraising efforts for a Washington-based organization that assists nonprofits.