Read other 2006
   Press Releases

Aerospace and Defense Companies Seek Renewed Push for Export Licensing Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7 - - Chief executive officers from 39 major aerospace and defense companies have signed a letter to the president asking for a renewed push for reform of the export control licensing process. At a press briefing at the Aerospace Industries Association today, representatives from AIA, The Boeing Company, and Raytheon Company spoke of the urgent need to modernize the nation's export control system to maintain U.S. interoperability with its allies, and to ensure continued U.S. technological leadership.

John W. Douglass, AIA President and CEO, Robert D. Bauerlein, Chair of AIA's International Council and Boeing's Vice President of International Operations, Thomas M. Culligan, Past Chair of AIA's International Council and Raytheon Executive Vice President for Business Development and Chairman of Raytheon International, Inc., and Joel Johnson, AIA's Vice President of International Affairs urged the administration to take the following actions:

• Accelerate the on-going review of the U.S. Munitions List (USML) and implement an efficient process for deciding which technologies are truly weapons-critical and qualify for stringent controls. Those items that do not meet this threshold should be removed from the list.
• Direct agencies to streamline their regulatory processes to establish predictable timelines and switch to an electronic licensing regime.
• Streamline transactions involving allies.
• Remove commercial communications satellites and related items from the USML.
• Set higher monetary thresholds for congressional notification of defense exports and a process for notifications when Congress is out of session that is clear and predictable to all parties.
• Establish an agreement between the U.S. and six European "Letter of Intent" countries to facilitate defense trade and harmonize defense export controls.

Review objectives in export control reform.

P.A. Rel 2002-09

02.07.02

-AIA-

Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA
(202) 371-8548
matt.grimison@aia-aerospace.org