Arms Sales and the Defense Trade
Department of State Regulations on Political-Military Affairs
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs [PM] oversees most government-to-government arms transfers and commercial export licensing of U.S.-origin defense equipment and technologies, consistent with the Arms Export Control Act, the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and other statutory authorities and relevant international agreements. Arms sales and defense trade are key tools of foreign policy with potential long-term implications for regional security. For this reason, the United States takes into account political, military, economic, arms control, and human rights conditions in making decisions on the provision of…
