Administration issues new policy on arms transfers

The Obama administration moved Wednesday to expand the nation’s policy on arms transfers to include concerns about human rights violations, terrorism and the dissemination of sensitive data.

New guidance updates the U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy for the first time in nearly two decades, and follows a two-year review.

{mosads}The policy is designed to ensure the allowance of arms transfers that enable U.S. allies to secure their own borders and deny those “that may be destabilizing or dangerous to international peace and security,” the White House said.

For the first time, the policy is expanding to incorporate new criteria to govern transfer decisions, including counter-terrorism and human rights concerns and efforts to counter transnational organized crime.

“In the hands of hostile or irresponsible state and non-state actors, however, these weapons can exacerbate international tensions, foster instability, inflict substantial damage, enable transnational organized crime, and be used to violate universal human rights,” the White House said.

The administration is also broadening the scope of the policy beyond just arms, to include the transfer of technical data related to arms.

The policy update comes as the administration is drafting a series of regulations that, together, represent the largest overhaul of federal export controls in U.S. history.

The undertaking at the State and Commerce departments involved streamlining and updating Cold War-era rules for exporting items deemed sensitive.