By B.C. Kessner
While there has been some remarkable change recently toward improving export control policies, more work on the overall system and key treaties is necessary to ensure national security, Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Marion Blakey told reporters Friday.
“We must address those [technologies] that are really critical from the security standpoint, and at the same time make it possible for us to fight with our allies with the right technologies, and a smooth flow of our technologies to our allies,” Blakey said. “It is really fundamental to the security of our country.”
Blakey spoke at a press luncheon about today’s first National Aerospace Day and issues facing the aerospace and defense industries (Defense Daily, Sept. 14). She said that export controls–the problems they create as well as the necessary and important safeguards they provide–have been at the center of the most difficult policy issues for many years.
However, in the last 18 months to two years, she has seen some remarkable change. She credited the Bush administration at the tail end for taking real steps on issuing licenses and said that the process has improved very dramatically since changes were made, particularly with State Department’s ability to assess the issues. The Bush administration also made improvements when it came to looking at the distinction on commercial components and how those should be treated on the Commerce Department’s lists, Blakey said.
“So, we’ve got that already as evidence that things are changing,” she said. “But this current administration has just taken a very important step. That was when President Obama called for a review of our export control approach and process, an entire review of the system.”
According to Blakey and AIA, this is particularly important because the attention of the National Security Council as well as the National Economic Council is now squarely on the issue.
“It is very clear that they are very serious about trying to construct a process that is more predictable, transparent and efficient than we have now,” she said.
The process needs to be more than a one-time scrub of the munitions list and the commercial list, and function as something that can be updated, she said. “As you have version 1.0 come on, it is only going to be current and cutting edge, leading edge for so long…the list should be something that is constantly reviewed so that we’re not trying to monitor, and control, and assess totally unmanageable numbers of technologies.”
Blakey brought up pending U.S. treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia, saying that the Senate was not due to act this fall and that things were teed up to do so.
“Those treaties really will be game changers in terms of the way we are approaching export controls and export licensing,” she said.
They look at it from the standpoint of entire programs, and from the standpoint of a trusted community and those who are pre-approved to receive and participate in these programs, Blakey said. “This is something that could make a great difference and we are very hopeful that the Senate is going to move forward since it is well past time.”
She said that our allies in the United Kingdom have been waiting for this for a long time and have done everything necessary. “The ball is completely in our court,” she added.