White House Opens Two New Centers on Export Enforcement
On March 7, 2012 the Administration officially opened two new national, multi-agency centers to improve how the U.S. Government administers its export control system, in support of the President’s Export Control Reform Initiative of "implementing common sense reforms to streamline and improve the nation’s export control system." According to the White House, these centers are changing the way the Executive Branch does business by implementing a more fully coordinated and harmonized approach that facilitates secure trade and will better protect military critical technologies from being transferred to countries or entities of national security and proliferation concern. It will also strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base by helping U.S. exporters to be more competitive and reliable suppliers.
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Export Enforcement Coordination Center to Enhance Enforcement & Intelligence Sharing
Established by the President under Executive Order 13558, the Export Enforcement Coordination Center (E2C2) is responsible for enhanced information sharing and coordination between law enforcement and intelligence officials regarding possible violations of U.S. export controls laws. The E2C2 is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a leadership team comprised of officials from DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Commerce Department.
The opening of the E2C2 builds on the increased criminal penalties for export control violations and the provision of the Commerce Department’s permanent law enforcement authorities implemented in partnership with Congress in the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA), further strengthening the enforcement of U.S. export controls.
Information Triage Unit to Help Inform Decisions on Export License Applications
The Information Triage Unit (ITU) is responsible for assembling and disseminating relevant information, including intelligence, from which to base informed decisions on proposed exports requiring a U.S. Government license. This multi-agency screening will coordinate the reviews of separate stove-piped processes across the government to ensure that all departments and agencies have a full dataset, consistent with national security, from which to make decisions on license applications. According to the White House, such screening contributes to more timely, predictable, and consistent processes that U.S. exporters engaged in global trade have confirmed are critical to their competitiveness. The ITU is housed at the Commerce Department.
Office of Nat'l Counterintelligence Exec Responsible for Coordinating Export Control Issues
In support of the E2C2 and the ITU, the Director of National Intelligence has designated the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive as the entity responsible for coordinating export control issues involving the Intelligence Community. The White House calls this designation another significant process improvement for more seamless and comprehensive access to intelligence that strengthens the U.S. export control system’s protection of U.S. national security.