Title: Export controls
Description: Each year, billions of dollars in arms and 'dual-use' items, items that have both commercial and military applications, are exported to U.S. allies and strategic partners. To further national security, foreign policy, and economic interests, the U.S. government controls the export of these items. Agencies have taken actions to address several weaknesses in the U.S. export control system that we previously identified and the Administration's export control reform initiatives have the potential to address others if fully implemented. Specifically, agencies have taken actions in several areas, including reducing the time it takes to process arms licenses and making initial efforts to coordinate export control enforcement activities among multiple agencies. The export control reform framework, as proposed, has the potential to address weaknesses in the U.S. export control system related to control lists, licensing, enforcement, and information technology, including areas where agencies have not addressed prior findings. However, for a few areas, such as developing measures of effectiveness for the arms export control system, agencies have not addressed some of our prior findings and the reform framework does not contain specific initiatives to address them. Furthermore, the Administration may have challenges in implementing fundamental reform of the export control system, such as reaching interagency agreement on which items need to be controlled and obtaining congressional approval for implementing reforms. Enclosure I provides additional details on our reports from 2001 to 2010 related to U.S. export controls, including their key findings, agency actions in response to these findings, and whether the export control reform framework includes actions that may address these findings. This report includes no new recommendations.
Subjects: Export controls, Communication of technical information, Government policy, Technology transfer, Arms transfers, National security
Places: United States