U.S.-Proposed Missile Technology Control Regime Changes

Beginning in 2017, the United States has submitted a series of proposals to the Missile Technology Control Regime(MTCR) partners that would relax the regimes export guidelines for certain Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).Advocates of altering the guidelines to ease such exports argue that increasing competition from foreign UAS manufacturers is undermining the competitive advantage of their U.S. counterparts. Other observers have emphasized the need to maintain the MTCRs standards, which are widely regarded as effective. For more information on the MTCR, see CRS Report RL33865, Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements. The MTCR, according to its website, seeks to limit the risks of proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (NBC weapons) by controlling exports of goods and technologies that could make a contribution to delivery systems (other than manned aircraft) for such weapons. Established in 1987 by the United States and six other countries, the MTCR, which holds several meetings per year and currently consists of 35 partner countries, is an informal voluntary arrangement whose partners agree to apply common export policy guidelines to an annex containing two categories of controlled items. Partner countries implement these guidelines pursuant to national legislation and regularly exchange information on relevant export licensing issues, including denials of technology transfers. The MTCR guidelines apply to both armed and unarmed UAS.