European Institute

Moderated by Mark Esper, Executive Vice President, Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the first session of the seminar explored the impact of export controls on defense procurement. William Lowell, Consultant and former Director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Defense Trade Controls detailed efforts to promote industrial cooperation. Hendrik Petersson, Vice President Export Compliance, Saab AB, highlighted the impact of ITAR regulations on the European defense industry and the future of an intra-community transfer regime. Peter Lichtenbaum, Vice President of Regulatory Compliance and International Policy, BAE Systems, addressed the challenges caused by export controls and their effects on international trade policy. François Gayet, Secretary General, AeroSpace and Defense Industries Association of Europe (ASD), served as the moderator for the second session at which Bernard Rétat, Chairman of the Defense Commission, ASD outlined European initiatives to streamline defense procurement and create a more competitive environment. The Hon. Robert Bell, Chairman of the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) Study Group on Trans-Atlantic Defense Industrial Cooperation and Senior Vice President for European Business Development, SAIC examined the growing importance of interoperability and NATO procurement. Gary Powell, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy outlined specific Defense Department goals for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics (AT&L Goals). In his keynote remarks, The Hon. Marshall Billingslea, Acting Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy, and until recently Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Defense Investment, reviewed new trends in defense technology and procurement and their impact on the transatlantic alliance.