BXA WORKS TO RID “COLD WAR MYTHOLOGY” FROM U.S. EXPORT CONTROL PROCESS
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Export Administration says it wants to eliminate “Cold War mythology” from the country’s export control process.
“This administration is not in favor of eliminating export controls, but rather on focusing controls on what matters — choke point technologies — and on making sure that our controls do not have the unintended result of limiting our own ability to acquire cutting edge items we need for our own protection,” said William A. Reinsch, undersecretary of the Export Administration, during the agency’s Update West 2000 conference in La Jolla, Calif. last week.
The Export Administration wants to focus controls on technologies that contribute to the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and less on high-tech commodities that are for civilian purposes, such as most high-performance computers (HPCs), semiconductors, software and telecommunications.
Reinsch warned that maintaining a stronghold on these types of goods would only hurt U.S. manufacturers in the long run.
“Our military does not buy enough HPCs to keep our companies healthy,” Reinsch said. “More than 50 percent of the sales of these companies are exports. Failure to export means fewer profits being rolled into R&D on next-generation technologies and fewer funds available to address particular defense-related concerns.”
The Export Administration has increased its response time to export license applications through its Simplified Network Application Process (SNAP). About 50 percent of new applications are received by the agency through the system.
SNAP only receives applications. The Export Administration plans to expand the system to handle supporting documentation.
The Export Administration focus control efforts on multilateral agreements with other countries, such as the Wessenaar Agreement, Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime and Australia Group.
However, the agency said it will continue to keep strict export controls on rogue countries such as Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea.