BIS, DOJ, Treasury Officials Discuss Tech Security in Germany

Matthew Axelrod, the Bureau of Industry and Security's top export enforcement official, traveled to Germany last week to talk with European industry executives and enforcement officials about export controls and to speak at the 2024 Munich Security Conference. BIS said Axelrod “participated in several discussions regarding national security challenges facing the United States and its partners.” Matthew Olsen, head of DOJ’s National Security Division, and Paul Rosen, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for investment security, also attended.

A report produced by the organizers of the Munich conference -- which brings together government and industry officials to discuss global security issues -- warned that rising geopolitical tensions are causing more countries to prioritize the success of their industries over cooperation with other countries. It said countries with critical raw materials are “increasingly resorting to export restrictions” to keep those materials for themselves. The report also said the global semiconductor supply chain is increasingly being “weaponized,” pointing to chip export controls announced by the U.S., Japan and the Netherlands.

“Instead of generating mutual prosperity, semiconductors serve as means to prevailing in the geopolitical competition,” the report said. Policymakers “must work with actors throughout the supply chain to limit geopolitical risks, while considering that dependencies may prove persistent.”