In response to the national emergency President Trump declared on March 13, 2020, as a result of the SARS-COV2 pandemic, the Department of State has taken a number of steps to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on U.S. companies and supply chains overseas.  The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) is announcing two new measures aimed at facilitating telework and electronic communication. Each will be the subject of a future notice on this webpage.

Continuation of Temporary Modifications, Suspensions, and Exceptions to the ITAR for Telework due to SARS-COV2: The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Trade Controls has ordered an extension until December 31, 2020, of the temporary modifications, suspensions, and exceptions to the ITAR to allow continued telework operations during the current SARS-COV2 public health emergency. These actions are taken pursuant to ITAR §§ 126.2 and 126.3 and are in the interest of the U.S. Government and the security and foreign policy of the United States and will help to ensure continuity of operations within DDTC and among members of the regulated community.  The temporary modifications, suspensions, and exceptions were originally described in paragraphs 3 and 4 of Federal Register notice 85 FR 25287, May 1, 2020. DDTC is not extending the other temporary modifications, suspensions, and exceptions related to registration and licensing that were described in that notice. Additional information regarding these actions will be published in the future in the Federal Register.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestiture Notifications and FAQs: DDTC will begin accepting submissions of notifications of changes to registrations resulting from Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures via DDTC’s DECCS electronic portal.  In addition, DDTC will be updating its Registration FAQs page to include a new subheading titled ‘Mergers, Acquisitions, and Divestitures’ that will include new questions and answers to aid registrants in submission of registration-related notifications.