April 20, 2018
A new U.S. policy makes it (somewhat) easier to export drones
The Trump administration just announced a new drone export policy designed to make it easier for U.S. companies to export drones, including armed drones. Given concerns about the proliferation of these lethal systems, what explains this policy shift?
U.S. drone export policy is determined both by domestic policy and U.S. obligations as a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a voluntary export control regime with 35 member states. Created in 1987, the MTCR was designed to prevent the spread of missiles with the potential to carry weapons of mass destruction.
Even though drones are more akin to airplanes than missiles, drones that can travel more than 300 kilometers and carry a payload of more than 500 kilograms are subject to the “strong presumption of denial” for export by MTCR members. As a result, U.S. armed drones have only been approved for sale to the Britain, Italy and France.
Read the full article at The Washington Post
More from CNAS
-
Global Supply Chains, Economic Decoupling, and U.S.-China Relations, Part 1: The View from the United States
Commentary
The trade war has defined the current adversarial relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While President Donald J. Trump has at times...
By Sagatom Saha & Ashley Feng
-
Health Surveillance Is Here to Stay
Commentary
Washington’s post-9/11 debate about how much surveillance a free society should allow has suddenly become about much more than counterterrorism and national security. Amid tod...
By Carrie Cordero & Richard Fontaine
-
Sharper: Global Coronavirus Response
Commentary
As regions across the United States enforce states of emergency and a growing list of countries restrict travel, close schools, and quarantine citizens, the economic and human...
By Chris Estep & Cole Stevens
-
Banks Are Most Likely Exposed to Crypto-Assets Unknowingly
Commentary
U.S. financial regulators are watching closely to see how financial institutions’ exposure to the crypto-asset industry is affecting their bank anti-money laundering complianc...
By Yaya J. Fanusie
