December 2006
Government Accountability Office: Export-Control for Agencies, Universities and Industry
Export Controls: Challenges Exist in Enforcement of an Inherently Complex System. GAO-07-265 describes the "roles, responsibilities and authorities of export control enforcement agencies, identifies the challenges these agencies face, and determines if information on enforcement outcomes is provided by the export control agencies." They recommend several actions aimed at improving coordination and remedying weaknesses in enforcement, including establishing a task force comprised of export control investigative agencies to address interagency coordination (reporting results to Congress) and establishing goals for licensing determination.
Export Controls: Agencies Should Assess Vulnerabilities and Improve Guidance for Protecting Export-Controlled Information at Universities (GAO-07-70) was undertaken because while "foreign students and scholars have made substantial contributions to U.S. research efforts and technology development, … foreign access to sensitive U.S. technology has imposed a significant but unquantifiable cost to the United States." The GAO was asked to "describe the nature of research conducted at universities and identify the steps they take to comply with export controls [and] assess efforts by Departments of State and Commerce … to determine the risk of export violations in university research." The GAO recommended "that Commerce and State use available information to assess vulnerabilities and based on this assessment improve outreach, guidance and interagency coordination."
Export Controls: Agencies Should Assess Vulnerabilities and Improve Guidance for Protecting Export-Controlled Information at Companies (GAO-07-69) notes that "[g]lobalization and communication technologies facilitate exports of controlled information providing benefits to U.S. companies and increase interactions between U.S. and foreign companies, making it challenging to protect such exports." The GAO studied "how the government's export control processes apply to the protection of export-controlled information, and steps the government has taken to identify and help mitigate the risks in protecting export controlled information." They recommend that "Commerce and State strategically assess vulnerabilities and improve guidance for protecting such exports."
