[April 26, 2012]

AIAA and ABA to Hold Capitol Hill "Conversation on Export Controls"

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Bar Association Section of Science & Technology Law (SciTech) will co-sponsor a "Conversation on Export Controls" on Wednesday, May 9. This luncheon event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Independence Avenue and South Capitol Street, Washington, D.C. 20003.

The conversation will highlight flaws within the current International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) regime, and propose possible solutions. Also, the panel will discuss the Interim Report from the Departments of Defense and State to Congress on Section 1248 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, allowing for a robust discussion of how ITAR currently affects the manufacture and trade of satellites and other related technology.

The panel will be moderated by James Rendleman, chair, AIAA Technical Committee on Legal Aspects of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Speakers for the event will be: Dennis Burnett, vice president, trade and export controls, EADS (News - Alert) - North America; Matt Kleiman, corporate counsel, Draper Laboratory, nd chair of the ABA SciTech Space Law Committee; Ann Liebschutz, executive director, United States - Israel Science & Technology Foundation; Dr. Michael Mineiro, international and interagency affairs specialist, National Oceanic (News - Alert) and Atmospheric Administration; and Major Matthew Burris, United States Strategic Command. Brian H. Nilsson, director, Non-Proliferation - Export Controls, White House National Security Staff, has been invited to attend as well.

Robert S. Dickman, executive director of AIAA, stated: "Discussions like this are crucial in understanding how the current ITAR regime has hurt our nation's technology industry's ability to compete in the world market, while encouraging other nations to develop their technological sectors to the detriment of our nation's economic and national security. This panel will examine the shortcomings of the ITAR regime and propose sensible steps for reform - steps which will be crucial to once again reclaiming America's preeminence in the world technology marketplace."

For more information about "A Conversation on Export Controls," contact Duane Hyland at 703.264.7558 or duaneh@aiaa.org. The event is open to credentialed members of the press.

AIAA is the world's largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344
Phone (News - Alert): 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551 www.aiaa.org

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]