21 November 2002
U.S. Reviews Defense Trade Export Policy
(Issued at the NATO summit in Prague) (440)
Following is a White House fact sheet on the Bush Administration
review of defense trade export policies, undertaken to ensure that
those policies continue to support U.S. national security and foreign
policy goals. The fact sheet was released November 21 during the NATO
summit in Prague.
(begin fact sheet)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Prague, Czech Republic)
November 21, 2002
FACT SHEET
Bush Administration Review of Defense Trade Export Policy and National
Security
The Bush Administration has begun a comprehensive assessment of the
effectiveness of U.S. defense trade policies, to identify changes
necessary to ensure that those policies continue to support U.S.
national security and foreign policy goals. The review will be
completed in six months.
The objectives of the review are to ensure that defense trade, defense
trade technology security, and related acquisitions policies:
-- Support the security of the United States;
-- Contribute to peace and stability, including regional security;
-- Support U.S. nonproliferation and counterterrorism policies and
strategies and international commitments;
-- Control militarily critical technologies; and
-- Protect such technologies from diversion.
The review also aims to maintain America's technological and
war-fighting advantages over its potential adversaries, while
facilitating friends' and allies' efforts to increase capability and
interoperability. Specifically, the review aims to:
-- Maintain a viable U.S. defense industrial base necessary to meet
current and future national security needs;
-- Facilitate fundamental research, and rapid, optimal defense
exploitation of commercial developments;
-- Retool and realign defense and industrial links with allies to
reflect the current and evolving security environment;
-- Improve the military effectiveness of alliances and coalitions;
-- Increase the pool of allies and friends who can effectively fight
alongside us;
-- Increase allied defense spending and burden-sharing; and
-- Increase areas of defense cooperation.
Finally, the review will:
-- Identify the top U.S. weapons acquisition programs for which
increased industrial participation or greater access to U.S.
technology by allies, and vice versa, would improve military
effectiveness of U.S. coalitions.
-- Identify possible specific modifications, and assess the potential
risks to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests posed by
such modifications, to current U.S. defense trade licensing policies
and practices.
-- Identify foreign market access barriers that impede U.S.-Allied
defense industrial cooperation.
-- Determine the effectiveness of all Defense Technology Security
Initiative actions in facilitating U.S.-Allied defense trade, and
develop recommendations for either continuing, changing, or
discontinuing the initiative, as well as consider additional
initiatives as appropriate.
-- Identify technology transfer policy changes that will facilitate
the ability of the U.S. military to benefit from commercial
developments and international cooperation.
-- Identify technology transfer policy changes that will facilitate
cutting edge fundamental research in U.S. academic institutions, U.S.
Government laboratories, private industry, and other organizations
that engage in fundamental research.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
