The U.S. should take several steps to reduce red tape and streamline arms sales and technology transfers to close trading partners, including more frequently reviewing the jurisdiction of export-controlled items and combining reviews of weapons requests from allies, researchers said in a new report.
The State Department is revising the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to align with recent U.N. Security Council decisions involving the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Sudan. The agency’s final rule, effective July 7, also updates the list of NATO members and major non-NATO allies and makes other corrections and clarifications to the ITAR.
Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., introduced a bill June 27 to require the State Department to develop “expedited and fixed timelines” for licensing decisions for certain defense exports, according to Congress.gov. The bill was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Baumgartner’s office didn’t respond to a request for more information.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has published a new license statistics tracker on its homepage, which details the number of licenses it has received and adjudicated each month over the last year. The tracker also includes average processing times for each month.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s arms sales task force is considering recommending that the Trump administration create a joint “fusion cell” or office to help industry track the U.S. government’s review of defense export requests, a key lawmaker said July 2.
Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., introduced a bill June 27 that would direct the State Department to review annually whether any defense exports available through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program but not the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) licensing process should become eligible for the more flexible DCS process.
A bipartisan group of five House members, including House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., reintroduced a bill June 26 to create a State Sponsor of Unlawful or Wrongful Detention (SSWD) designation, which would allow the State Department to impose sanctions, arms export restrictions and other penalties on countries that wrongfully detain Americans.
The State Department this week announced new export restrictions against Sudan after determining earlier this year that the Sudanese government used chemical weapons in 2024 and isn't in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (see 2505230007). The agency’s notice, effective June 27, establishes new prohibitions but also waives some of the new export restrictions for Sudan under certain scenarios. The measures will be in place for at least one year “and until further notice.”
Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced a bill June 10 that could make it easier for Cyprus to buy U.S. defense equipment.
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., reintroduced a bill June 6 that would give the U.K. the same licensing exemption for unclassified defense exports that Canada currently enjoys under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The Special Relationship Military Improvement Act, which Green previously introduced in the last Congress, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.