President Announces Two Export Control Reform Initiatives Today (Encryption and Dual-Nationals)

In a speech today on the National Export Initiative made today at the Export-Import Bank of the United States' annual conference in Washington, DC, President Obama announced two specific changes in U.S. export control laws that the Administration plans to implement:

1. A new one-time online review and notification process for products containing encryption algorithms. This new process is intended to reduce the current 30 to 60 day review process to "30 minutes."                                 
2. Will eliminate unnecessary obstacles for exporting products to companies with dual-national and third-country-national employees by harmonizing the EAR and ITAR standards, making it easier for American and foreign companies to comply with U.S. export control requirements without diminishing national security. 

Further details on these reforms will be announced by BIS and DDTC in the near future.

More information on the other aspects of the President's speech today are found in the subsequent post.