This summer, UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security (CITS) hosted a group of government officials representing India, Pakistan, and China for their annual Export Control Fellows Program (previously called the East Asia Fellows Program), sponsored by the Department of Energy. CITS hosted the nine Export Control Fellows for two weeks (July 9 – 20).
CITS provides training on strategic trade compliance through a variety of training programs. The Export Control Fellows Program is the most advanced strategic trade compliance training CITS offers. Often, the Fellows in this program already have experience in strategic trade compliance and are planning to implement similar programs in their countries of residence.
During the Export Control Fellows Program, CITS hosted experts from all over the United States, including researchers from universities, the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories, and private industry. The program heavily emphasizes practical applications to industry, so CITS arranged for experts to come from a range of companies, including General Electric (GE), Raytheon, Tesla, and Smyrna-based Mirion Technologies.
Joshua Darnell, the Assistant Director for Training and Outreach, coordinated the program, and explained why CITS is so valuable. “Ultimately, compliance is something that eats into your bottom line, it isn’t a revenue generator, it’s a revenue consumer. So these government agencies, around the world, have the challenge of convincing companies in their countries to listen to them and work with them.” CITS offers the education and programs to make that challenge easier.
The Export Fellows program is only one of the many training programs CITS offers throughout the year. CITS also hosts a variety of programs both domestically and abroad, including the Security & Strategic Trade Management Academy (SSTMA), the longest-running CITS training program.
