Aerospace Industries Association Members Identify Export Control Reform Initiatives in Letter to President Obama

In a letter sent yesterday to President Obama signed by more than 100 companies, members of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) praised the Obama Administration for undertaking the review of U.S. export controls and urged the administration to take action on a number of initiatives to modernize the export control system.

The letter identified the following five areas of reform to improve the export control system that do not require new legislation:

1. Establishment of transparent and specific criteria to identify those militarily critical and sensitive defense and space technologies that must be subject to the most rigorous controls.

2. Facilitation of timely technology flows between the U.S. and our closest allies and partners, particularly in support of defense and national security programs important to the U.S. Government.

3. Adoption of procedures to ensure any required Defense Department reviews associated with a proposed release of U.S. technology properly balance both policy and technical considerations, and are completed in a timely and consistent manner.

4. Update of the treatment of the next-generation of aerospace and defense technologies, such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), under U.S. and multilateral export control regimes.

5. Review of export control compliance requirements to improve comprehension and implementation, particularly among small and medium-sized firms, as well as a review of resource requirements to raise confidence in the effectiveness of U.S. enforcement efforts.

The letter also reiterated the need to ratify the defense trade cooperation treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia that are currently pending in the Senate. 

The full text of the AIA's letter can be found here.