The White House is reviewing a 2015 export policy that governs the sale of U.S.-built unmanned aerial vehicles to the country’s allies, Defense News reported Thursday.
An unnamed government official told Defense News that the review part of the Trump administration’s efforts to update U.S. defense trade policy.
“While these discussions remain ongoing, I can tell you that a key goal is to ensure we strike the right balance among delivering top-shelf U.S. defense articles to our allies and partners, safeguarding the technological edge of U.S. industry, and preserving America’s global leadership in promoting international security and nonproliferation,” the official added, according to the report.
The report cited an anonymous industry source who predicts that easing UAV export regulations could help encourage U.S. manufacturers to build commercial and civil variants of military drones.
