100,000 participants in U.S. defense trade will spent one million hours complying with regs

The U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls intends to gather information from manufacturers, exporters, importers and brokers who are involved in defense-related transactions covered by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITARs.

The Directorate estimates that about 100,000 businesses and nonprofit organizations affected by this information-gathering initiative will collectively require about one million hours annually to prepare their responses.

“Registered brokers must submit annual reports regarding all brokering activity that was transacted,” explains a Federal Register notice, “and registered manufacturers and exporters must maintain records of defense trade activities for five years.”

The collected information will be made available for law enforcement purposes upon request, adds the notice.

Further information about this info-gathering program can be seen by visiting www.regulations.gov and citing “Public Notice 8668.”