The Trump administration’s easing of export restrictions for certain unmanned drones was an overdue decision that could allow American companies to better compete in foreign markets and boost U.S. cooperation with allies, a defense policy researcher and former Pentagon official said Wednesday. During a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar, they said the announcement highlights the shortcomings of the multilateral Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), arguing that it and other U.S. arms control policies have failed to keep up with the pace of technology.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a State Department reauthorization bill Sept. 18 that would consolidate the State Department’s sanctions activities into a new Sanctions Policy Bureau led by an assistant secretary for sanctions policy (see 2509110039).
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Recent updates to the U.S. Munitions List (see 2508260011) may be causing error messages for licenses submitted in the State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System, State said this week.
The State Department has been approving the vast majority of export license applications involving South Korea, a senior agency official said this week, stressing that the government doesn’t want to be an impediment to defense trade with the close U.S. ally.
A new State Department export license exemption for underwater drones provides “new flexibility” for companies using those drones for certain commercial and scientific operations, but companies still need to set “careful compliance guardrails” to make sure they’re using the exemption correctly, K&L Gates said in a client alert.
The State Department’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System will undergo maintenance from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET Sept. 15. "Industry users may experience service degradation, interruptions, or limited application functionality within DECCS during this maintenance window," the agency said. "If you experience any issues, please log back in after the maintenance window."
The State Department began an interagency review Sept. 11 for a final rule involving an exemption within the International Traffic in Arms Regulations for defense trade between the AUKUS nations of Australia, U.K. and the U.S. The rule could build on the agency's August 2024 interim final rule that created the exemption and aimed to remove certain export control barriers for a range of items that had previously faced strict license requirements under the ITAR (see 2408160019).
Although Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. have taken steps to ease defense trade restrictions, companies are still being cautious because progress around AUKUS appears to have stalled, researchers and U.K. lawmakers said this week. They also said it’s still too early for the three nations to invite other countries to join, adding that they need to first prove that the concept works among themselves.
The State Department’s recently published spring 2025 regulatory agenda previews several export control rules that the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is hoping to issue this year, including revisions to the U.S. Munitions List, updates to the definition for defense services, updates to its AUKUS exemption, and more.