On March 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) announced more restrictive export controls on Nicaragua stated to be in response to the Nicaraguan Government’s human rights abuses, attacks on civil society, and increased cooperation with Russia. The DDTC and BIS press releases are available here and here. DDTC: New ITAR Export Controls The State Department announced…
On December 16, 2022, the US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) issued a proposed rule that would treat two additional types of transactions as activities that are not exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports (“controlled events”) (and, thus, not require authorization) under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”). The two additional activities that would not constitute controlled events are: Taking defense articles outside a previously approved country by the armed…
On December 5, 2022, the US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) issued the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) Compliance Program Guidelines (“ITAR Guidelines”). The ITAR Guidelines set out DDTC’s expectations for an effective ITAR Compliance Program (“ICP”) and an introduction to controls contained in the Arms Export Control Act and ITAR. More specifically, the ITAR Guidelines outline key elements of an effective ICP, and identify suggestions, common compliance pitfalls, and/or…
Following initial announcements last year, on July 20, 2022, the US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (“DDTC”) published two Open General Licenses (“OGLs”) permitting certain reexports and retransfers to certain parties under the International Trade in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”). The OGLs, which are part of a DDTC pilot program, will be valid for one year, effective from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. The related DDTC fact sheet can be found…