British Defense Official Criticizes U.S. Defense Export Controls
Reuters reports that an unamed British defense official speaking at a defense trade association conference in Washington that that it "could become more difficult for Britain to join military operations with U.S. troops unless Washington eases tight export controls on its closest military ally." The official said the U.S. government had tightened its interpretation of already restrictive export controls over the past year, and it would take a "long, hard battle" to reverse the current trend." He also indicated that the export controls system in the U.S. is "is immensely more bureaucratic. . . than any environment that I have come across in Europe."