The State Department sent an interim final rule for interagency review that would seek public comments on revisions to the U.S. Munitions List. The rule, sent for review Feb. 2, would request feedback “regarding the technology frontier,” which could help the agency identify specific technology capabilities that have “sufficiently evolved” to consider amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The State Department would revise and exclude entries on the USML that “no longer warrant inclusion” and “add entries for critical and emerging technologies that do.”
A Miami-based company violated U.S. export regulations when it illegally shipped red dot scopes to Austria and Switzerland, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in Feb. 2 order. The company, Dotphins, entered into a settlement agreement with BIS that will require it to complete compliance training.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will hold a two-day conference this month to help it better understand emerging brain computer interface (BCI) technology as it considers potential export controls. The public conference, which will be both in person and virtual Feb. 16-17, comes a little more than a year after the agency requested public comments on potential BCI export restrictions (see 2110250011).
U.S policymakers should further study the extent to which U.S. investors support China’s artificial intelligence industry and should revise the scope of a Treasury Department list that restricts investments in Chinese military companies, experts from Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology said in a new report. The report also said the U.S. should consider imposing investment restrictions on certain companies added to the Entity List.
The U.S. should “acknowledge” the national security risks associated with outbound investments into China, said Nathaniel Fick, the first ambassador at large of the State Department’s recently established Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. Fick, speaking during a Feb. 2 event hosted by the German Marshall Fund, suggested he’s expecting government action around outbound investments soon.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week suspended the export privileges of six people for illegally exporting defense items -- from guns and ammunition to night-vision goggles -- to Hong Kong, Iran, Mexico and Ukraine.
The U.N. Security Council recently added one entry to its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions. The designation targets the Islamic State Group’s East Asia division, formed in June 2016.
Australia this week announced new human rights sanctions against people and entities in Myanmar and Iran. The Myanmar sanctions target 16 members of the Myanmar military regime and two military-controlled entities in response to their part in the overthrow of the country’s government in 2021 (see 2102110020). The Iran sanctions target four Iranian people and four entities involved in the production and supply of drones to Russia for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Australia’s announcements were made alongside similar sanctions imposed by the U.S. this week (see 2301310020 and 2301310007).
U.S. leaders “must act” to ensure America remains competitive in the emerging biotechnology sector, including through trade restrictions and other controls, the Center for New American Security’s new Biotech Task Force said in a “statement of purpose” this week. In an emailed news release, the task force said the U.S. must constrain “harmful tech development by certain actors with updated mitigation strategies,” including ones that use “export controls and investment restrictions.” The strategies should also include “updating regulations, forging collaboration with trusted international partners, and reinforcing international law and norms.”
New U.S. chip export controls are among the most complex export regulatory provisions ever published and have caused significant uncertainty in the semiconductor industry, trade groups and technology firms told the Bureau of Industry and Security in comments that were due this week. More than 40 companies, trade associations, law firms and others asked BIS to revise parts of the regulations or offer more guidance to avoid hurting U.S. competitiveness, with some saying the new controls may force foreign companies to stop using U.S.-origin items altogether rather than deal with the added compliance obligations.