A pair of MQ-9 reapers from the 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron are stationed on the flight line at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, June 9, 2020.
Senior Airman Isaiah J. Soliz | U.S. Air Force
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed a measure this week that will allow US defense contractors to sell more armed drones to foreign military, a State Department official said Friday.
The updated policy determination opens the sale of US armed drones to foreign governments that were previously prohibited from purchasing them under the Missile Technology Control Regime, or MTCR, which was signed three decades ago by 35 member countries.
The MTCR classifies large drones similar to cruise missiles, making sales of such weapons subject to high export restrictions. Under the updated policy, the United States no longer subjects drones flying at less than 800 kilometers per hour, such as Reapers manufactured by General Atomics and Global Hawks manufactured by Northrop Grumman, to the high bar of MTCR.
Clarke Cooper, undersecretary for political-military affairs at the State Department, said the new policy will help American allies and partners “meet their urgent business and national security requirements.”
The modified US drone export policy is largely viewed as an effort by the Trump administration to sell more weapons abroad.
Cooper reiterated that US drone sales would still remain at a high level, minimizing concerns that the sale of more drones would lead to human rights abuses.
“These are all case-by-case determinations based not only on the partner requirement but also on how that aligns with the interest of the United States,” he said.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the MTCR was outdated, hurting the US defense industry and “hampering deterrence abroad by hurting our partners and allies with poor technology.”
“Approve or deny [an unmanned aircraft system] Selling to any country is a government-wide decision and takes into account our national security, nonproliferation, and foreign policy goals, as well as the ability of the purchasing country to responsibly use and safeguard U.S. source technology. McEnany said in a statement statement.
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