{"id":26574,"date":"2020-07-16T20:29:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T20:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/16\/lord-hopes-to-loosen-weapon-export-restrictions-in-next-six-months\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:13:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:13:54","slug":"lord-hopes-to-loosen-weapon-export-restrictions-in-next-six-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/2020\/07\/16\/lord-hopes-to-loosen-weapon-export-restrictions-in-next-six-months\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord hopes to loosen weapon export restrictions in next six months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The Pentagon\u2019s top weapons acquisition official on Thursday called for another review of what defense technology is export-restricted<\/a>, in an attempt to ensure the United States remains a defense technology provider of choice for other nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at an event hosted by the Reagan Foundation, Ellen Lord said she has in recent months become \u201cpassionate\u201d about revisiting export controls<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the next six months, I very much hope to open the envelope, particularly on some of the weapons technology that we can export,\u201d Lord said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am concerned that sometimes we are losing international competitions, because we have \u2014 as we have increased our capability, we have not increased the capabilities that we export in a commensurate fashion,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd we sometimes are having some of our potential customers, typically in the Mideast turn to Russia or China \u2014 you see the same thing in India, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Export control reform is hardly a new issue. In 2018, the Trump administration unveiled new defense export policies<\/a> that it said should increase sales of U.S. weapons abroad; during the rollout, officials used some of the same phrasing about the need to think \u201cstrategically\u201d as Lord did on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in a process that started under the Obama administration and continued into the Trump administration, the U.S. State Department reviewed the 21 categories<\/a> on the U.S. Munitions List, moving thousands of pieces of technology into categories that allow for straight commercial sales without a government review.<\/p>\n\n\n\t