Report By The General Accounting Office On Arms Export Licensing At The Department Of State

The U.S defense industry and some foreign government purchasers have expressed concern that the U.S. export control process is unnecessarily burdensome. Specifically, defense industry officials have stated that extended reviews of export license applications by the State Department are resulting in lost sales and are adversely affecting the nation's defense industry. In the United States, the State Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls is the office responsible for licensing the export and temporary import of defense articles and services. In June 2001, we reported to you that the State Department completed over 46,000 license application reviews in fiscal year 2000. While the U.S. export licensing process can be lengthy because of foreign policy and national security considerations, other factors may also have an impact on processing times. Therefore, you asked us to determine whether elements of the process create delays in license application reviews.