The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security is still planning to hold its annual conference in Washington, D.C., this summer, and officially opened registration for the event on April 30. BIS said it is “closely monitoring” COVID-19 updates and will notify industry of any changes to the June 29-July 1 conference. The conference's agenda includes sessions on license exceptions, semiconductors, end-use checks, updates on export controls, export enforcement and more.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls scheduled an April 30 update of its Defense Export Control and Compliance System to allow license drafters to select the empowered official to sign and submit a license, the DDTC said April 29. The update will return all licenses in “awaiting signature” status to “draft” status. License drafters should open the license and select empowered official “to return the license to the 'Awaiting Signature' status,” the DDTC said. Due to the update, the agency said it expected DECCS to be unavailable to industry from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. EDT April 30.
The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (RevCon), which was expected to include a discussion on export controls on weapons proliferation (see 2003030058), was postponed due to the measures involved in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 27 notice from the State Department. The agency said it supports the decision to postpone the conference and will “work constructively with other NPT Parties to maintain and strengthen the Treaty, including at the RevCon when conditions allow it to be held.”
The State Department asked for comments on an information collection related to requests to change end-user, end-use or destination of hardware information for exports, according to a notice. The requests, using Form DS-6004, are submitted to the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls before the sale is made. The Office of Management and Budget requested “emergency review and approval” of the collection, the State Department said, adding that comments “must be received” by April 29.
The Directorate of Defense Controls on April 23 released its report to Congress on defense exports licensed under the Arms Export Control Act during 2019. The report, which includes an introduction and a memo to Congress, details the value and quantity of the licensed exports for each country destination and the “data on the actual shipments of those licensed transactions,” the DDTC said.
The Commerce Department changed some details for its inaugural Emerging Technology Technical Advisory Committee meeting in May (see 2003050004), in a notice. Commerce clarified that the meeting will be held only through a remote teleconference and will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT on May 19. The meeting was previously scheduled for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The State Department approved a potential $150 million military sale to the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said April 23. The sale includes “blanket order requisitions” for certain aircraft parts, the DSCA said. The sale will allow the UAE to continue to buy “needed spare/repair parts” to maintain its aircraft fleet. The DSCA said there are no principal contractors involved with this potential sale.
German demand for a range of U.S. seafood exports continues to rise and is expected to provide increased opportunities for exports of U.S. fish, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released April 17. The USDA said Germany is “especially dependent” on imports of Alaska pollock and there are “good prospects” for salmon, cod, scallops and dogfish. The report also includes current German import requirements for U.S. seafood exporters. The USDA said German demand is expected to continue to rise after an increase of nearly 20% in imports of U.S. fish in 2019.
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has seen a decline in voluntary self-disclosures since 2013, according to an April 20 post on the EU Sanctions blog, which cited a report by the Global Investigations Review. DDTC processed just over 2,000 disclosures in 2013 but only 650 in 2019, the blog said. Since 2014, the number of self-disclosures fell by about 140 disclosures per year, the blog post said, but has remained “consistent” over the last two years. The decrease stems from the removal of certain dual-use items from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Control List, the blog said.
The State Department approved two potential military sales to India worth $63 million and $92 million, respectively, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said April 13. The first sale includes 19 torpedoes and equipment, and the second sale includes 10 harpoon “air launched missiles.” The principal contractor for the first sale is Raytheon Integrated Defense System, and the contractor for the second is Boeing.