Amendment Allows Removal Of Satellites And Related Technologies From U.S. Munitions List

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the National Defense Authorization Act conference report with an amendment that will give the President the authority to remove satellites and related technologies from the U.S. Munitions List (USML), a significant step that strengthens American industries and preserves our national security.

The amendment will return to the Executive Branch the authority to remove satellites and related technologies from the State Department controlled USML, and place them on the Commerce Control List to be regulated by the Department of Commerce as dual-use items.

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation issued a statement thanking Rep. Howard Berman, Rep. Buck McKeon, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Senator Michael Bennet, Senator Carl Levin, Senator John McCain, Senator John Kerry, Senator Lugar, Senator Tom Udall, Senator Barbara Boxer, and the staffs of the Senate and House Armed Services, Senate Foreign Relations, and House Foreign Affairs committees, among many others for their leadership on this issue.

“This is a remarkable success, achieved by a coalition that included industry, researchers and the foreign policy community. By rationalizing export controls, Congress has simultaneously improved our national security and created an environment that will keep high-tech jobs here in America,” stated Michael Lopez-Alegria, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. “It has been very encouraging to see industry, including CSF members, academia, and many others working closely together to find a solution to a regulatory problem that impacts jobs, STEM education, and America’s leadership in space. I look forward to the Senate passage of the NDAA today as well.”

“It is exciting to see progress on export reform at such an important time for the industry,” said CSF Chairman, Stuart Witt (pictured). “Removing unnecessary regulations will allow companies to spend their valuable resources on testing and developing their technologies, allowing the U.S. to retain its leadership as an innovator. We hope progress in this area will encourage the removal of manned suborbital spaceflight systems from the U.S. Munitions List. These vehicles have innumerable civilian uses, and should be on the Commerce Control List, where many dual-use technologies with predominantly civilian uses are already regulated.”

FMI: www.commercialspaceflight.org