The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls reminded exporters and other companies this week that its increased registration fees took effect Jan. 9 (see 2412060068). Current registrations expiring on or after March 31 will be sent reminder notifications about the new fee structure, DDTC said, which includes higher baseline fees for Tier 1, 2 and 3 registrants. The agency also linked to guidance on how to create a new registration and how registrants can calculate their new registration payment.
The International Trade Administration published its 2025 Defense Export Handbook, which it said serves as a “toolkit” for companies looking to comply with government regulations for defense exports. It gives guidance to businesses that are new to exporting defense items and includes “tips to navigate” U.S. export requirements, including those governing foreign military sales, direct commercial sales, shipments regulated by the Bureau of Industry and Security and Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, and more.
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The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is revising its trade regulations to add and remove items from the U.S. Munitions List and to clarify the control scope of others. The changes, outlined in an interim final rule released Jan. 16 and effective Sept. 15, include new defense articles that DDTC said should be subject to export controls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and delete others “that no longer warrant inclusion” or that will soon become subject to the Commerce Department’s licensing jurisdiction.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., introduced a bill Jan. 9 to end the arms embargo on Cyprus. The Cyprus Defense Cooperation Act was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published a list this week of commodity jurisdiction (CJ) determinations for items controlled under U.S. Munitions List Category XXI, which covers defense articles and services “not otherwise enumerated” under other USML categories.
The State Department’s recently published fall 2024 regulatory agenda previews a range of export control rules the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is hoping to issue this year, including one that would finalize an updated definition for defense services and others that would make various changes to the U.S. Munitions List.
Joshua Levy, a DOJ attorney who oversaw multiple high-profile export control-related cases, will resign from the federal government Jan. 17, the agency announced this week. Levy most recently served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, leading an office that charged two men in December for shipping sensitive drone technology to Iran (see 2412170021) and that fined American defense firm RTX in October to resolve allegations that it tried to defraud the U.S. government and commit defense export control violations (see 2410160058).
The State Department is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation, the agency said in a notice released Jan. 8 and effective Jan. 10. The new amounts, which include revised maximum penalties for violations of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Arms Export Control Act, will apply only to penalties assessed on or after Jan. 10, the agency said.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said its Response Team and Help Desk will be closed Jan. 9 along with the rest of the federal government in observance of the national day of mourning for President Jimmy Carter. They will reopen at 8 a.m. on Jan. 10, DDTC said. “Due to the closure and depending on volume of inquires received, responses to support requests and processing of classified provisos for delivery may be delayed,” it said.