Replies

Section 11A (Multilateral Export Control Violations; 50 U.S.C. app. 2410a)
requires the President to prohibit, for two to five years, the U.S. government from
contracting with, or procuring goods or services from, a foreign person who has
violated any country’s national security export regulations in accordance with the
agreement of the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls
(COCOM),17 and that the violation results “in substantial enhancement of Soviet and
East Bloc capabilities in submarines or antisubmarine warfare, ballistic or
antiballistic missiles technology, strategic aircraft, command, control,
communications and intelligence, or other critical technologies.” The President also
is required generally to prohibit importation of products from the sanctioned person.
The President may impose sanctions at his discretion if the first but not the second condition exists. In this case, the restrictions may be in place no longer than five
years.

Sanctions may not be required for some goods if contracts with the sanctionable
person meet U.S. operational military requirements, if the President determines that
the sanctionable person is a sole source provider of an essential defense article or
service, or if the President determines that such articles or services are essential to
U.S. national security under defense coproduction agreements. The President also
may not be required to apply sanctions if he determines that a company affiliated
with the sanctionable person had no knowledge of the export control violation. After
sanctions have been in place for two years, the President may modify terms of the
restrictions under certain conditions, and if he notifies Congress.

(This part were the footnotes for page 21

17 The Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) agreed to cease
to exist on March 31, 1994. Member nations agreed to retain current control lists until a
successor organization is established. On December 19, 1995, the United States and 27
other countries, including NATO participants and Russia, agreed to establish a new
multilateral export control arrangement. In July 1996, thirty-three countries gave final
approval to the Wassenaar Arrangement for Export Controls for Conventional Arms and
Dual-Use Goods and Technologies (“Wassenaar Arrangement”). On January 15, 1998, the
Bureau of Export Administration (BXA — now the Bureau of Industry and Security, or BIS)
of the Department of Commerce issued an interim rule to implement the Wassenaar
Arrangement list of dual-use items and revisions to the Commerce Control List required by
implementation of the Wassenaar Arrangement (63 F.R. 2452). BXA issued a final rule on
July 23, 1999 (64 F.R. 40106), and a revision to that rule where it pertains to national
security controls on July 12, 2000 (65 F.R. 43130). On December 1, 2000, participants in
the Wassenaar Arrangement agreed to adopt new standards for controlling exports of
electronics, computers, and telecommunications technology. A current version of the
Commerce Control List may be found at 15 CFR part 774, with an overview at 15 CFR part
738. )

This may be a dorky thought, or it may be one of those multi-meaning things. And I may have missed someone else saying this but this:

Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM)

Snapped me back to Q saying "Learn the COMS"

and with 2 sons-in-law career military, it should have clicked with me before about how they sometimes refer to committees. Am I in left field? I know COM has been "communications" which is another thing the military sons-in-law say. But, I listen when they talk because I care for their safety, and sometimes COMS is committee.