R.G. Edmonson | Mar 08, 2012 9:21AM EST
Federal officials on Wednesday announced the opening of two offices to expedite the investigation into shippers believed to be illegally exporting high-technology goods or military hardware that require federal approval and licensing.
The Information Triage Unit, operated by the Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security, will become the center for the exchange of information from intelligence and law enforcement agencies, as well as offices in charge of administering the control laws.
The Export Enforcement Coordination Center, which will go by the Star Wars-like name E2C2, will coordinate enforcement of activities of a number of agencies, including the FBI, and the departments of Homeland Security and Commerce. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will manage the office.
The two centers are part of President Obama’s multi-year effort to reform and streamline the country’s Cold War-era export control regime. A project is already under way to merge the Commerce Control List with the State Department’s munitions list. The objective is to have a single list of items under the jurisdiction of one control agency.
Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @bobinwash.
