DEFENSE EXPORT HANDBOOK

The International Trade Administration’s (ITA) Office of Transportation and Machinery (OTM) is pleased to announce a new comprehensive handbook designed to assist companies in the U.S. defense industry to navigate the complexities of exporting their products to foreign markets. With this Defense Export Handbook, ITA delivers valuable information to support American businesses in expanding their global reach while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Click here to access the handbook.

The handbook is divided into six main parts. It begins with an overview of defense trade, cataloging the range of laws, government strategy documents, policies, regulations, and multilateral export control regimes that govern defense trade. The handbook also describes how to pursue defense trade, outlining the differences between the processes for foreign military sales (FMS) and direct commercial sales (DCS). We then provide three steps for defense trade:

  1. Identifying Opportunities and Understanding the Market
  2. Determining Export Controls and License Requirements
  3. Export Promotion

The handbook concludes with other considerations for exporters, including offsets and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as a list of major aerospace and defense trade shows and additional resources for exporters.

This initiative underscores ITA’s commitment to strengthening U.S. competitiveness and facilitating international trade. Companies throughout the defense supply chain may find value in this guidance. We encourage all interested parties to access this handbook and utilize the information to enhance their export strategies and operations.

For more information, please contact Rick Cieri (rick.cieri@trade.gov) from OTM’s Aerospace Team, located in ITA’s Industry and Analysis division.

Download Defense Export Handbook here: https://www.trade.gov/report/2025-defense-export-handbook