The Bureau of Industry and Security is “significantly reducing licensing requirements” for Australia and the U.K. “to foster defense trade and technological innovation” under the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) Enhanced Trilateral Security Partnership, it said in an April 18 news release.
The U.S. announced on April 18 a new package of export controls and sanctions against Iran and its activities that support Russia’s war effort, in retaliation for Iran’s attack five days earlier on Israel.
The U.S. announced new export controls and sanctions against Iran, as well as new export controls against Russia intended to address Iran’s support for Russia’s drone program, in response to Iran’s attack on Israel on April 13.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on April 18 issued an interim final rule that removes some Export Administration Regulations licensing requirements for Australia and the U.K. to facilitate cooperation under the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) Trilateral Security Partnership, among other things. Under the rule, “Australia and the UK will have nearly the same licensing treatment under the EAR as Canada,” BIS said. The changes take effect April 19. Comments on the interim final rule are due June 3.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently met with a group of industry and university officials to hear about challenges plaguing export compliance professionals, including problems doing due diligence on foreign parties, lengthy timelines for export license applications and more.
U.S. companies should expect more retaliation from China if the Bureau of Industry and Security adds more major Chinese technology firms to its Entity List this year, Paul Trulio, a China and technology policy expert, said during an event last week hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trulio and other panelists also said it’s unclear exactly how a possible second Trump administration may tweak U.S. export control policy toward Beijing, but they said it’s possible former President Donald Trump, if reelected, could significantly increase restrictions on Chinese firms through potential financial sanctions and may pressure allies to do the same.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is looking for new candidates to serve on each of its six technical advisory committees, the agency said this week. The TAC members -- selected from industry, academia and government -- will help advise the Commerce Department on export controls and may serve terms of not more than four consecutive years. Applicants should send a resume and other required information to Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov by June 11.
The State Department has drafted a proposed rule that could create a new exemption in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations for “defense trade and cooperation” with Australia and the U.K. The agency sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs April 9.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is encouraging industry and foreign countries to do more to ensure American high-tech products don't end up in Russian weapon systems, a Commerce Department official said April 10.
The Bureau of Industry and Security remains months away from resolving a temporary pause in new firearm export licenses that was supposed to expire in January, the National Shooting Sports Foundation said this week.