The U.S. has already set a record for exports of military goods this year, said Andrew Shapiro Assistant Secretary of State-Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, in a teleconference with reporters June 14. He said foreign military sales has already topped $50 billion, exceeding the previous record of $30 billion in 2011, "and we still have more than a quarter of the fiscal year left."
The State Department said it will prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement on a revised proposed route for the Keystone Pipeline that was proposed by TransCanada, and will seek public comment. The revised proposed route extends from the Canadian border in Phillips County, Mont., to Steele City, Neb., and avoids the Sand Hills region of Nebraska. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality is evaluating the potential impacts associated with the proposed new route, and State has an agreement with Nebraska to facilitate coordination and cooperation between the state and federal government, according to a Federal Register notice.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls posted the Section 655 FY 2011 report. Section 655 Annual Military Assistance Reports cover defense articles and defense services licensed for export under 22 USC 2778 of the Arms Export Control Act. These reports are provided annually to Congress pursuant to Section 655 of the Foreign Assistance Act and show for a fiscal year the aggregate dollar value and quantity of defense articles and defense services authorized as direct commercial sales to each foreign country.
The State Department Directorate of Defense Trade Controls said DTrade has been upgraded to version 2.4.2 to improve DT2e performance, enforce submission policy, and improve the clarity of industry submission notification. Some changes are technical changes that will be transparent to DT2e end users.
Ambassador to Botswana Michelle Gavin will present an overview of the current investment and business climate in Botswana and developments in major sectors of interest including energy, minerals, and apparel at 9 a.m. ET June 6. A Q&A session will follow. Register for the call here.
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls notification of name/address changes:
The State Department, World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently issued the following travel warnings, travel alerts, country specific information sheets, and disease outbreak-related information: State Department Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will be upgraded to Release v2.4.2 the evening of June 6. The system will be unavailable from 5:30 to 10 p.m. EST. Further information: DTRADE Help Desk at 202-663-2838 or dtradehelpdesk@state.gov.
The State Department issued its 2012 Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Country Database, which highlights significant steps reporting countries and jurisdictions have taken to improve their anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) regimes, it said. The report highlights the AML/CFT legal infrastructure of each country or jurisdiction and its capacity to share information and cooperate in international investigations. It also provides a link to the most recent mutual evaluation performed by or on behalf of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) or the FATF-style regional body to which the country or jurisdiction belongs, as well as other relevant links.
The State Department said it renewed the charter of the Advisory Committee on International Law. State uses the committee to obtain the views and advice of the legal profession on significant issues of international law. The Committee is comprised of all former Legal Advisers of the Department of State and up to 25 individuals appointed by the current Legal Adviser. The next meeting of the advisory committee will be at 9:30 a.m. June 13 at the George Washington University Law School. Members of the public who wish to attend should notify the Office of the Legal Adviser (202-776-8344 or KillTP@state.gov. A valid photo ID is required for admittance.