Arms exports, particularly to Arab Gulf nations, have sparked some of the biggest clashes between the Trump administration and Congress. Administration officials have been discussing whether to end a decades-long process of Congressional review of the proposed sales.
State Department and Pentagon officials working on non-proliferation issues have internally rejected efforts by other officials to circumvent the ban on the deal, which covers drones capable of carrying at least 500 kilograms, or more than 1,100 pounds, of weapons over 300 kilometers. , about 186 miles. Those officials and some lawmakers argue that other countries or companies can copy the technology once they are in possession of the drones and start making their own.
During a conference call with reporters on Friday, Cooper did not answer a question about the proliferation risks of this drone technology after the administration’s decision. Instead, he said the United States will continue to enforce restrictions on other types of weapons in the Missile Technology Control Regime.
The United States has already circumvented the limits of the arms deal to license US companies to sell advanced drones in at least four cases, primarily to NATO allied nations, an assistant to Congress said. A State Department official said the phrase “strong presumption of denial” in the agreement does not constitute a general export ban.
In addition to the Middle Eastern countries, those in East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe are likely to request to purchase the drones. Reuters reported last month that the United States was considering circumventing the deal to sell larger drones.
The Missile Technology Control Regime was established in 1987 by the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Great Britain to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The pact, which now includes 35 member countries, restricts exports of missiles and their components. He is credited with slowing down missile development programs in countries like Egypt and Iraq.
After the administration’s announcement on Friday, Christopher Ford, undersecretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, said during a discussion at the Hudson Institute, a research group in Washington, that diplomacy would ideally have brought about a shift in the boundaries of the agreement on drones. , but the talks failed.
