-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Computer Export Decontrol By David Ruppe The Clinton administration just made it easier for military operations in countries such as China, India and Pakistan to obtain strategically sensitive, U.S.-made high-performance computers. New regulations went into effect today enabling U.S. companies to export more powerful computers to countries that pose significant national security risks — without first having to obtain a Commerce Department export license or notify the government. Prior to the change, U.S. companies could export U.S. supercomputers capable of performing up to 2 billion theoretical operations per second, or 2,000 “MTOPS,” to military entities in the 50 such countries of concern without obtaining an export license. The threshold has now been raised to 7,000 MTOPS. Because the regulations make no distinction between them, the change applies to exports of both desktop computers and high-speed computers that can be linked together. These are used for a variety of civilian purposes, from banking to weather forecasting — but also for such military purposes as the design and testing of nuclear weapons. Promoting Market Share The regulation change is a big deal for the Clinton administration, which has battled Congress in recent years over easing restrictions it says could cause U.S. high-performance computer companies to lose market share. President Clinton announced the change and other relaxed computer restrictions at a July 1 news conference, stating the relaxed controls would “strengthen America’s high-tech competitiveness.” Congress was notified of the change July 23. The law requires six months for the regulation changes to take effect. A separate regulation change raised the licensing threshold for computer exports to non-military entities in the Tier 3 from 7,000 MTOPS to 12,300 MTOPS effective Aug. 3. What of National Security? In his statement, Clinton asserted that the regulation changes would not harm national security. The decontrols would occur “while maintaining controls that are needed to maintain our national security,” he said. Critics disagree. Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, has noted that the 85 prospective computer exports rejected in the Commerce Department licensing process in 1998 might not have been under the new regulations. “If the threshold is increased as the Administration proposes, we can expect hundreds of American high-performance computers to wind up in foreign programs to build weapons of mass destruction,” he told a congressional committee in October. Indeed, a 1998 Department of Energy study found that countries like China, India and Pakistan could use 4,000 MTOPS computers to improve their nuclear weapons designs. Where’s the Proof? Critics also charge the administration has not produced any analysis that backs Clinton’s assertion that national security will not be harmed by the relaxed controls. A November report released by Congress’s non-partisan watchdog organization, the General Accounting Office, said the White House failed in a July 1999 report to analyze the impact foreign military use of U.S. computers would have on U.S. national security. “Our military experts in the government have not been consulted about the threat, have not evaluated the technological and military intentions of countries such as China, and have not been called on to propose controls that might protect America’s strategic interests,” Stephen Bryen, former head of the Pentagon’s technology control agency, told the committee in October. What Competition? The administration’s claims about international competition for high-performance computer sales also has come under fire.v The November GAO study concluded the administration overstated the availability of high-performance computers from non-U.S. sources. “The study found that U.S. companies and their international business partners overwhelmingly dominate the international market for most high-performance computers.” ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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