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.
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The Automated Export System on Jan. 1 will begin rejecting filings of shipments controlled under U.S. Munitions List Category XXI if they don’t include a valid State Department commodity jurisdiction determination number, the Census Bureau said this week. Census is also putting in place new AES codes to address a “workaround” used by some exporters to ship Foreign Military Sales (FMS) items that aren’t described on the USML.
Space industry associations and companies largely welcomed a recent State Department proposal to modernize U.S. space-related export controls, although they asked for several clarifications, fewer export control guardrails and an extended timeline to allow space firms to update their compliance programs.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., introduced a bill Dec. 20 to sanction Turkey if it doesn't renew a recently expired ceasefire between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said users may experience delayed responses from its Response Team and Help Desk when the government reopens after observing federal holidays over the next week. “Due to the closure and depending on volume of inquires received, responses may be delayed through the following week,” the agency said Dec. 24. “The processing of classified provisos for delivery may also be delayed.” The Response Team and Help desk will reopen Dec. 26 at 8 a.m. EST and Jan. 2 at 8 a.m. EST following the Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 federal holidays.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is seeking public comments on an information collection involving license applications to export or temporarily import export-controlled defense articles or technical data. Companies must use Form DSP-85 to obtain permission to carry out those activities involving items covered by the U.S. Munitions List. Comments on the information collection are due Feb. 10.