The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) highlighted some of its results in controlling military end-use exports.

At its core, BIS implemented military end-use controls to prevent exports that would enhance the military capabilities of countries with interests contrary to the United States, including the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Venezuela, and Burma. 

On October 17, 2023, this Bureau published updated export control rules on advanced computer items and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including the establishment of stricter parameters on existing restrictions on chips, which seek to strengthen and enhance the controls imposed on October 7, 2022. 

Then, in January 2023, Japan and the Netherlands, home to some of the world’s most advanced semiconductor equipment manufacturers, also announced that they had agreed to restrict exports of advanced chip manufacturing equipment to China. 

Control of military end-use exports

Among the results highlighted by BIS, for example, U.S. exports to Russia in categories of items subject to BIS licensing requirements decreased 96% in number of shipments and 91.7% in value compared to the same time period from September 21, 2020 to February 23, 2022. 

Overall, U.S. exports to Russia have decreased 88.5% in value over the same time period. 

Following the first measures in FY2022, BIS enacted additional licensing requirements and prohibitions to support Ukraine by restricting the flow of U.S.-origin goods to Russia and Belarus. 

BIS accomplished this by expanding the scope of Russian industrial sector sanctions to include lower-level items potentially useful to Russia’s chemical and biological weapons production capabilities and items necessary for advanced production and manufacturing capabilities in relevant industries.

Allied Countries 

BIS expanded licensing requirements for items destined for designated Russian and Belarusian “military end-user” and “military intelligence end-user” entities anywhere in the world in order to degrade the ability of both countries to conduct war-related activities. 

These licensing requirements now include foreign-made items produced using U.S.-origin software and technology. 

BIS updated and revised its licensing requirements and prohibitions to align with those of the European Union and allied countries.