The Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy (DTCP) is one of three program offices located within the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).  Its mission is to maintain a modern and agile export control system for munitions, while providing responsive, forward-thinking, and insightful policy advice and support on direct commercial sales (DCS) of defense articles and services to representatives of the Department of State, U.S. Interagency, foreign partners, and the exporting public.  The office serves as the Department’s lead for maintaining and interpreting the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR 120-130) and its United States Munitions List (USML), which identifies defense articles and defense services subject to the Department’s control.  DTCP’s portfolio also includes managing the Department’s end-use monitoring program for munitions exports under the DCS system and promoting greater knowledge and awareness of export controls among the exporting and importing communities and other interested parties. 

By Division, DTCP’s core functions include:

• Regulatory and Multilateral Affairs (RMA).  DDTC’s regulatory policy lead, RMA is principally responsible for developing and implementing revisions to the ITAR.  RMA also issues authoritative interpretations of the ITAR and other forms of guidance for exporters and manufacturers of munitions, foreign governments and foreign industry, and senior Department officials.  RMA is the principal DDTC interlocutor on addressing complex regulatory and policy matters with key allies.
• Technology and Jurisdiction Analysis (TJA).  As the Directorate’s lead for developing and maintaining technology-based policy, TJA is responsible for monitoring and reporting technology trends, developing technology-based policy, and leading the interagency process of reviewing and revising the USML.  TJA also manages Commodity Jurisdiction requests from industry and the U.S. government, an interagency process that issues determinations as to whether a product or service is described on the USML.  Lastly, TJA provides guidance to the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and other federal law enforcement entities in support of seizures, investigations, and criminal prosecutions for violations of the ITAR and Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.).
• Country and End-User Analysis (CEA).  CEA is responsible for reporting on foreign export control systems and countries’ export and import trends related to munitions, as well as supporting development of DCS country policy. It maintains DDTC’s Watch List of ineligible or suspect entities, evaluating thousands of license requests against the List annually.  CEA manages DDTC’s Blue Lantern end-use monitoring program, initiating over 460 overseas checks in 70 countries in FY 2018.  Additionally, CEA works with U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies on researching illicit defense trade activities and trends and reviews foreign person visa requests with potential export control implications.  The division monitors and reports on the merger and acquisition of foreign defense industry partners, conducting risk assessments related to the potential for diversion of U.S. technology to unauthorized actors.

This page is intended to provide an overview of the Department of State’s defense trade controls. These controls are contained in the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), both of which are authoritative on this matter. This information is not intended to serve as a basis for any registration or licensing decisions on the part of the public or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. To the extent there is any discrepancy between this information and either the AECA or the ITAR, the Act and Regulations will prevail.