By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has amended U.S. export control regulations to take into account changes made last year to the Missile Technology Control Regime annex, according to a notice published last week in the Federal Register (see GSN, Oct. 28, 2002).

The MTCR seeks to restrict the export of critical missile technologies by establishing common export controls among the regime’s 33 members.  Under the MTCR, the export of missile systems with a range of more than 300 kilometers and capable of carrying a payload of more than 500 kilograms are subject to a strong presumption of denial. 

At last year’s plenary meeting in Warsaw, MTCR members agreed to revise definitions of the terms “range” and “payload.”  Regime members agreed that range would be the distance a missile is capable of traveling when flying at “range-maximizing” capability.  Experts have said that the revised definition would help prevent cruise missile exporters from circumventing the MTCR by expressing a missile’s range as the distance capable when flying at sea level for stealth purposes.  Regime members also agreed to a more explicit definition of payload, expanding the term to cover support structures and countermeasures as well as the actual warhead.

According to last week’s notice, the BIS has amended the U.S. Export Administration Regulations to reflect the new definitions of range and payload.  In addition, the bureau has also amended the Commerce Control List to reflect changes made last to the MTCR annex, the notice says.  The new CCL entries include mixed oxides of nitrogen, integrated navigation systems and flight control servo valves. 

MTCR members are scheduled to meet this week in Buenos Aires for the regime’s 2004 plenary meeting.

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP

Back to top