Countries reported 250 policy initiatives related to research security this year, an increase from last year and almost 10 times more than 2018, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in a study released last week. Over that same period, OECD said, the number of countries with research security measures rose from 12 to 41, highlighting a "major policy shift" in which governments are increasingly viewing science and technology as "pillars of national and economic security."
A bill that would require U.S. manufacturers of advanced AI chips to make their products available to American firms before selling them to China “is pretty common sense,” said Daniel Remler, a former State Department official.
The State Department this week approved two possible military sales to India and one to Japan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending public comment periods for two information collections related to its delivery verification procedures for imports, it said in notices released Nov. 20. The agency previously requested feedback on the collections in July and is now allowing an additional 30 days for comments (see 2507250001).
The Pentagon this week issued an updated list of critical technology areas, reducing the 14 categories set by the Biden administration to six. The new categories are:
President Donald Trump told reporters Nov. 17 that the U.S. will approve sales of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabia. "We will be doing that. We will be selling them F-35s," he said. Saudi Arabia would be the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to be allowed to buy F-35s, which are typically shared only with countries that have close military ties to the U.S.
The State Department last week approved possible military sales -- to Germany, Denmark, Taiwan and Iraq -- the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
The State Department last week approved a possible $353 million military sale to Singapore, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. The sale includes "Ebbing Air National Guard Base Facilities Construction Services" and related equipment. There are no principal contractors associated with it.
The U.S. and South Korea have agreed to a "Technology Prosperity Deal" one day after the U.S. and Japan signed a similar agreement (see 2510280031). The deal commits both nations to strengthen the "enforcement of technology protection measures," boost U.S. and Korean AI exports "across the full stack of AI hardware," increase collaboration on research security, and more.
Public comments on the Commerce Department's upcoming American AI Exports Program are due by Nov. 28, according to a Federal Register notice released this week. Commerce announced on Oct. 21 that it would be asking industry for feedback on how it should shape the program and ensure that it complies with export controls and other national security regulations (see 2510220008).