The State Department is finalizing and making several changes to a 2024 AUKUS rule that created an exemption for defense trade among the U.S., Australia and the U.K., including one change that will create a new and separate exemption for exports to support the armed forces of the three nations. The agency also used the final rule to respond to a host of public comments from the 2024 change, declining several recommendations to limit the scope of the Excluded Technology List and providing more guidance about how the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls treats expedited licensing, who qualifies as an authorized user, and more.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is continuing an initiative that offers a $500 discount for certain registrants with DDTC, the agency announced last week.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the DDTC Response Team and the agency's help desk will be closed beginning Dec. 24 because of the federal holiday, the agency announced this week. The Response Team will resume normal operations Dec. 29 at 8 a.m. ET, and the help desk will be back Jan. 2 at 8 a.m. ET. During this time, users can submit a support ticket using DDTC's virtual AI agent (see 2512160059) or through the agency's contact page. "Please be aware that, due to the holiday closure and a potential increase in inquiries, response times may be longer than usual and could extend into the following week. Processing of classified provisos for delivery may also be delayed."
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is launching an AI virtual agent Dec. 19 to provide DDTC site users with information technology support and to "enhance the DDTC experience for defense industry users." The agent, which will be "available 24/7," will use AI to "answer common IT questions instantly and guide users to helpful IT resources, making it easier and faster to resolve routine IT issues." For more complex questions, users can use the agent to connect with a human Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, DDTC said.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is seeking public comments on one information collection related to nontransfer and use certificates and another involving Part 130 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has sent a new final rule for interagency review that involves the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and U.S. Munitions List. The rule, sent for review Dec. 9, is titled "International Traffic in Arms Regulations: USML 2025 Supplemental Rule 2." The agency didn't release more information.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published a "redline" document to highlight recent changes made to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as a result of the agency’s ITAR reorganization effort. The revised document reflects changes made to the ITAR in light of DDTC’s removal of its arms embargo against Cambodia (see 2511060016) and its continued temporary suspension of restrictions on certain defense exports to Cyprus (see 2509080001). "Those changes are identified in the reorg redline by identifier 'Rev.17,'" DDTC said.
The U.K. added three Russian intelligence officers and the Russian intelligence agency to its Russia sanctions list on Dec. 4. Vladimir Lipchenko, Yuriy Sizov and Denis Smolyaninov were sanctioned by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for coordinating "sabotage operations in Ukraine." The intelligence agency is the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, known as GRU.
Rebecca Hindt left her role as a senior compliance specialist with the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls to join Collins Aerospace as an associate director for global trade, she announced on LinkedIn last week. She first joined DDTC in 2018.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls last month updated its list of commodity jurisdiction determinations for items and services controlled under the U.S. Munitions List. The new determinations cover certain batteries, a life raft, a system to disrupt drones, ammunition, a microwave instrument and more.