On September 30, 2026, the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would remove certain items from the U.S. Munitions List (USML). This proposed rule is in furtherance of President Donald Trump’s April 9, 2025, Executive Order 14268, “Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability,” which directed the Department to review the USML to ensure that it focused on the most sensitive and sophisticated technologies. DDTC has proposed various items for removal on the basis that they no longer provide a critical military or intelligence advantage.
The rule includes proposals to:
- Narrow controls on submarine parts, components, accessories, and attachments (USML Category XX);
- Remove certain radar altimeters (USML Category VIII), some protective eyewear (USML Category X), and certain less-lethal canister launchers (USML Category II);
- Narrow every catch-all control (each describes items specially designed for a defense article) by excluding twenty specific types of items (e.g., common gauges and circuit breakers) from the ITAR’s definition of “specially designed;”
- Address “a rare set of circumstances” by preventing the inadvertent application of ITAR controls to items not previously subject to the regulations;
- Create a new exemption for certain temporary exports of a foreign defense article to its manufacturer;
- Update the definitions of “development,” “production,” “defense article,” and “equivalent”; and
- Clarify the licensing exclusion for the launching of a spacecraft, launch vehicle, payload, or other article into space.
The proposed rule also clarifyies, revises, adds cross-references to multiple definitions, including the terms: (i) defense articles, (ii) defense service, (iii) technical data, (iv) specially designed, and others.
DDTC is seeking public comments on this rule and interested parties may submit comments by November 30, 2026. DDTC provides a list of questions for which it specifically requests comments. Comments may be submitted online via the Federal Regulations portal at: https://www.regulations.gov under Docket No.: DOS–2026–0991; or via email to: DDTCPublicComments@ state.gov. Commenting parties must include RIN 1400–AF40 in the subject line of the email message.