Export Controls

Need To Clarify Policy and Simplify Administration Gao ID: ID-79-16 March 1, 1979

The Government does not have an effective policymaking structure to reconcile the conflicting goals of export promotion and export control. The decisionmaking apparatus for determining what technology or products should be controlled is unwieldy and time consuming. On top of these problems, the export licensing system is characterized by delay, uncertainty, and lack of accountability. If controls are to be effective, they must be applied by other governments whose firms have similar technologies and products available. However, the Governments associated with the United States in the Export Control Coordinating Committee (COCOM) are disturbed with the slow United States decisionmaking process and what they consider an inflexible United States position on what ought to be controlled.

Steps have been taken to address some of the problems. The Department of Defense is leading an effort to determine what technologies are most critical for control. COCOM member governments request other members to exempt sales from control. The COCOM governments are now negotiating changes to the international control list. Most export control agencies apparently prefer diffusion of management which dilutes accountability among them rather than having one office or agency primarily responsible for properly implementing controls.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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