The State Department approved two possible military sales to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week. One sale includes $300 million worth of "ALTIUS 600M-V Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" and related equipment. The other sale is for a $60.2 million Switchblade 300 Anti-Personnel and Anti-Armor Loitering Missile System and related equipment. The principal contractors will be Anduril and AeroVironment, respectively.

The White House should do more to remove foreign trade barriers for U.S. services exports, enforce existing trade services agreements and take other steps to help the American services export industry, the President’s Export Council said in a letter earlier this month. The letter, written by council chair Mark Ein, said American services exports are “often subject to market access restrictions and discriminatory treatment as governments seek to favor their own services companies, and current “impediments are already significant and growing.”

The State Department approved a possible military sale to the Netherlands worth about $678 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said June 13. The sale includes “Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles-Extended Range” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be RTX Corp.

The State Department approved a potential $1.94 billion military sale to Norway, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said June 11. The sale includes “AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be RTX Corp.

The State Department has renewed the charter of its Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG) for two years, the agency announced June 14. The DTAG advises the department on issues involving its defense trade regulations.

The Bureau of Industry and Security imposed a $285,000 civil penalty on Sapphire Havacilik San Ltd. to resolve allegations that the Turkey-based company flew a U.S.-origin Gulfstream aircraft on private charter flights into Russia without a required BIS reexport license, the agency announced June 13. The flights occurred in October 2023 and January 2024 and were arranged by Russian nationals.

The Federal Maritime Commission recently sent the shipping and freight forwarding industry guidance about the FMC’s February final rule that set new demurrage and detention billing requirements (see 2402230049). The six-page document, provided to us by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, includes 19 frequently asked questions and answers related to the rule, covering questions including timelines for disputing detention and demurrage invoices issued by ocean carriers and terminal operators, extended dwell fees assessed by U.S. ports and the definition of “billed party.”

The Federal Maritime Commission this week updated its record of cases and decisions related to shipping violations “that may be significant or establish legal precedent.” The 132-page document covers cases that took place from June through December 2023, including various settlement approvals, orders not to review, a charge complaint and more.

The State Department approved a possible $215.5 million military sale to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said June 7. The sale includes “AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles” along with logistics and program support, and the principal contractor will be RTX Corp.

The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is seeking public comments on the renewal of information collection requirements that set due diligence rules for banks and others in the financial industry. The collections cover requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act, including reporting requirements for anti-money laundering programs. Comments are due Aug. 12.