Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday called for revising "Byzantine" rules for US arms exports, saying the current system undermines allies while failing to prevent sensitive technology from falling into the wrong hands.
Gates said in a speech that "the current arrangement fails at the critical task of preventing harmful exports while facilitating useful ones."
"Our security interests would be far better served by a more agile, transparent, predictable, and efficient regime," he said at an event organized by Business Executives for National Security.
"In short, a system where higher walls are placed around fewer, more critical items," he said.
Gates proposed a single list outlining which items require licenses for export, a single licensing agency, a single enforcement authority and a single IT system.
At the moment, "a Byzantine amalgam of authorities, roles, and missions scattered around different parts of the federal government" oversees export controls, creating confusion for both companies and government agencies, he said.
I know at least one arms dealer out in Tacoma who would be happy.
By: Brant
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