The State Department approved a $380 million military sale to Finland, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 1. The sale includes “FIM-92K Stinger Man Portable missiles; Production Verification Flight Test (PVFT) FIM-92K Stinger Man Portable missiles” and related equipment. The principal contractors will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense and Lockheed Martin. A $323.3 million military sale including missiles to Finland was approved Nov. 28 (see 2211290007).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls updated its “redline” document to help industry better view changes made to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as a result of the agency’s ITAR reorganization effort. The revised document reflects changes made to the ITAR as a result of DDTC’s continued temporary suspension of restrictions on certain defense exports to Cyprus (see 2211210028) and “limits redlines to only those changes made by the March 23 reorganization rule” (see 2203220013).
The Federal Maritime Commission this week announced new interim procedures for shippers, forwarders and others filing charge complaints for alleged violations of U.S. shipping regulations. The new procedures will help the FMC “take prompt action” to adjudicate complaints and guide the commission as it works to create a permanent filing process, which will be established through a future rulemaking.
The State Department approved a potential $1 billion military sale to Qatar, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Nov. 29. The sale includes a “Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS)” and related equipment. The principal contractors include Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.
The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology this week extended until Dec. 12 its comment period as it solicits feedback on certain domestic semiconductor initiatives. NIST, which first requested comments in October, said it’s looking for feedback to “inform the design of, and requirements for, potential Manufacturing USA institutes to strengthen the semiconductor and microelectronics innovation ecosystem, which could include design, fabrication, advanced test, assembly, and packaging capability.” Responses will inform the agency’s “development of funding opportunities for federal assistance to establish Manufacturing USA semiconductor institutes,” a national network of linked manufacturing institutes aimed at bolstering U.S. technology innovation, as envisioned in the Chips and Science Act. Comments were originally due Nov. 28.
The Pentagon this week released its annual report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments, detailing China’s strategy to become the world’s technology leader and other efforts that threaten U.S. national security. The report outlines initiatives by China to illegally acquire dual-use equipment through “espionage” and to subsidize domestic firms to disadvantage foreign businesses, as well as its relationship with heavily sanctioned countries, including North Korea and Iran.
The State Department approved a potential $323.3 million military sale to Finland, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Nov. 28. The sale includes “AIM 9X Block II tactical missiles, AGM-154 Joint Stand Off Weapons” and related equipment. The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missiles and Defense.
The State Department is seeking comments on an information collection involving commodity jurisdiction determinations. The collection states that exporters may request a written determination from the agency stating whether a particular article or defense service is controlled by the U.S. Munitions List. Comments on the collection are due by Dec. 30.
The State Department is seeking comments on an information collection related to technology security and clearance plans, screening records and nondisclosure agreements. These procedures help “prevent diversion to any destination, entity, or for purposes other than those authorized by the applicable export license or other authorization” for an item subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Comments on the information collection are due by Dec 30.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on Nov. 29 released its notifications to Congress of recently proposed export licenses. The July through September notices feature arms sales to numerous countries, including Canada, Italy, Qatar, the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates.