Defense manufacturing involves more than advanced machines and tight tolerances. Engineering drawings, CAD models and specifications may describe defense articles or contain technical data subject to U.S. export controls.
What is ITAR? The International Traffic in Arms Regulations govern certain defense articles, defense services and technical data and are administered by the U.S. Department of State Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). Depending on activities, manufacturers of regulated defense articles may be required to register with DDTC. Registration is not a certification, and registration alone does not authorize exports or transfers of controlled technical data.
Why does it matter to customers? A responsible manufacturing supplier needs to identify applicable export-control restrictions, control access to regulated technical data, review external sharing and subcontracting, and respect applicable contract flowdowns. Customers should identify required classifications and any restrictions when requesting a quote, before transferring controlled files.
ITAR and CMMC are different programs. ITAR concerns export controls on applicable defense articles and technical information; CMMC addresses specified cybersecurity assessment and safeguarding requirements for certain defense contractor information. A project may be subject to both depending on its requirements.
At Relentless Manufacturing, DDTC ITAR REGISTRATION IS IN PROGRESS, NOT YET COMPLETE. Our CMMC and ISO 9001 initiatives are also in progress. We are strengthening documented quality, security and information-handling processes for aerospace and defense manufacturing customers. Please discuss applicable restrictions and supplier requirements with us during project qualification.
