U.S. State Department revises USML controls for certain uncrewed underwater vehicles
Certain uncrewed underwater and other uncrewed vessels move from ITAR to Export Administration Regulations (EAR) jurisdiction.
The U.S. Department of State issued an interim final rule amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) certain uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and make related changes to USML Category XX(a).
The rule revises Category XX(a)(10) to cover only uncrewed, untethered vessels with a gross weight rating of more than 3,000 pounds and not more than 8,000 pounds that are specially designed both to operate without human interaction for more than 24 hours or more than 70 nautical miles and to possess specified navigation capabilities beyond following fixed waypoints, station-keeping, or see-and-avoid collision-avoidance maneuvers.
The rule also creates a new Category XX(a)(11) for uncrewed, untethered vessels with a gross weight rating exceeding 8,000 pounds that are specially designed to operate without human interaction for more than 24 hours or more than 70 nautical miles.
The State Department explains that vessels removed from USML control and not otherwise described on the USML will become subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
The rule is effective October 19, 2026. Notably, the rule requests comments, due October 19, 2026, including any specific comments regarding navigation capabilities of UUVs to assist in further refining ITAR controls on such items or about possible enhancements to the license exemption for certain UUV-related activities.