Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security
The Under Secretary for Industry and Security is a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Commerce tasked with executing the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) policy and its daily operation. The job of Under Secretary entails the advancement U.S. foreign policy and economic goals through effective export/import controls, international treaty compliance, and through the promotion of continued U.S. technological strategic leadership. The BIS was created in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001 to assist in ensuring United States global security interests.
[edit] Current Under Secretary
The current Under Secretary, Eric L. Hirschhorn is the top official at the BIS), a small federal agency that regulates the flow of exports from the United States.
In addition to being a recognized expert in trade law, Hirschhorn has amassed experience in the legislative branch as a congressional staffer and in the executive branch as a member of the Carter administration. His far-reaching background is a real asset in his capacity as under secretary for export administration, a position that requires close consultation with all the major players in the national security establishment.
- “I think this job is, above all, a national security job,” Hirschhorn said at his Senate confirmation hearing. -- Testimony, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, November 5, 2009(1)Testimony, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, November 5, 2009
Hirschhorn is the Commerce Department’s point person on an inter-agency review of exports controls that was ordered by President Barack Obama in 2009. The initiative — which aims to double exports from the U.S. in five years’ time — is likely to result in major changes to the BIS licensing system that is used to limit shipments of sensitive military technology from America’s shores.
[edit] External links
 |
This United States government-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
