A U.S. defense technology manufacturer said it takes U.S. export controls “very seriously” and vowed to improve its compliance after it settled for $1 million with the State Department for export violations. The company, AeroVironment, illegally exported goods and technical data in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (see 1911200054). “We understand the importance of protecting our technology while making it available to help protect our allies,” Melissa Brown, AeroVironment’s vice president and general counsel, said in a Nov. 21 statement. “We will continue to enhance our export controls and appreciate the Department of State’s acknowledgement of the corrective actions we have already taken.”
A U.S. manufacturer of defense technology products was fined $1 million by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and agreed to improve its compliance program after it violated the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, DDTC said in a Nov. 20 enforcement order. The company, AeroVironment, illegally exported goods and technical data to Canada, Australia, France, Thailand and Britain, according to a charging letter. The company also violated terms and conditions of licenses and did not keep records of ITAR-controlled sales.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 12-15 in case they were missed.
Due to an upcoming change, companies should make sure they have written policies for complying with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations before registering, renewing or amending their ITAR registrations, according to a Nov. 13 post from Export Solutions. That change relates to the submission of ITAR registrations as part of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls’ effort to update its processes for administration of the ITAR, the post said. The change will “most likely” take effect before 2020, Export Solutions said.
The Trump administration completed its review of its final rule to move export controls of firearms from the State Department to the Commerce Department, clearing the way for the regulatory changes to potentially be completed this year.
The State Department plans to publish its guidance for exports of surveillance technology by early January and will make several changes based on industry comments, officials said. Changes include the elimination of a “kill switch” suggestion and an effort to revise the definition for “surveillance,” which some companies complained was too broad.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold an in-house seminar on April 8, 2020, the DDTC said in a Nov. 4 notice. Registration will open March 6 and close March 27, the DDTC said, and attendees will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To attend, send a completed registration form as an attachment to DDTCInHouseSeminars@state.gov.
The State Department is seeking comments on an information collection related to disclosures of the Arms Export Control Act, according to an Oct. 28 notice. In a summary of the information collection, the State Department said it has developed a “discrete form” for submitting voluntary disclosures “as part of an IT modernization project designed to streamline the collection and use of information by” the Directorate of Defense Trade controls. The form will allow DDTC and submitters “to more easily track submissions,” the notice said. Comments are due Nov. 27.
The Commerce Department revoked export privileges for Alexis Vlachos, who was convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act in 2018 after illegally exporting firearms controlled on the U.S. Munitions List to Canada, Commerce said in an Oct. 23 notice. Vlachos was sentenced to 51 months in prison, and a $200 fine, the notice said. Commerce revoked Vlachos’ export privileges for seven years dating from her Sept. 4, 2018, conviction.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 7-11 in case they were missed.