U.S. COMMERCE, STATE BRACE FOR SCRAP OVER COMMODITY JURISDICTION
The U.S. Commerce and State departments are edging closer to a scrap over
who has jurisdiction over certain types of licensable exports.
In March, the license controls for commercial satellite exports came
back under the authority of the State Department after three years at
Commerce. The shift was due to a provision in the National Defense
Authorization Act.
"We see the potential for other commodities to shift from Commerce to
State, especially if they’re satellite or munitions related," said William
Reinsch, undersecretary of Commerce’s Export Administration at a Joint
Industry Group meeting earlier this week. "We’ll resist that."
Some goods on the Commerce Control List, such as night vision goggles and
infrared cameras, may be used for both commercial and military use.
"The line between military and commercial use of technology is getting
fuzzy," Reinsch said. "But dual-use goods should still belong to Commerce."