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DE RUEHC #2053 2951831
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P 211825Z OCT 08
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TO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0000
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0000
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0000
INFO MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 112053 
 
PARIS FOR EST: HELEN SMITH; CANBERRA FOR CAROL HANLON 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/21/2033 
TAGS: MTCRE ETTC KSCA MNUC PARM TSPA FR NE AS
SUBJECT: MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME (MTCR): U.S. 
PAPER ON DUAL USE MACHINE TOOL EXPORTS 
 
Classified By: ISN/MTR Director Pam Durham. 
Reasons:  1.4 (B), (D), (H). 
 
¶1. (U)  This is an action request.  Please see paragraph 2. 
 
¶2. (C)  ACTION REQUEST:  Department requests Embassy 
Paris provide the interagency cleared paper 
"U.S. Paper on Dual Use Machine Tool Exports" in paragraph 3 
below to the French Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) 
Point of Contact(POC) for distribution to all Partners. 
Department also requests Embassy The Hague provide paper to 
the Licensing and Enforcement Experts Meeting (LEEM) Co-Chair 
Klaas Leenman, and Embassy Canberra provide paper to the 
Australian MTCR Plenary Chair for 2008/2009 and/or 
appropriate staff.  Info addressees also may provide to host 
government officials as appropriate.  In delivering paper, 
posts should indicate that the U.S. is sharing this paper as 
part of our preparation for the LEEM that will be held in 
conjunction with the MTCR Plenary in Canberra (November 3-7). 
END NOTE. 
 
 
¶3. (U) BEGIN TEXT OF PAPER: 
 
U.S. Paper on Dual Use Machine Tool Exports 
 
Background 
 
The export of machine tools has drawn increased attention 
from the international non-proliferation community due to 
their diverse set of applications in the production and 
manufacture of nuclear weapon components as well as 
components used in conventional weapons and missiles.  MTCR 
controls focus on those machine tools that have an 
application in missile production such as spin-forming and 
flow-forming machines or filament winding machines.  Other 
traditional machine tools such as those for cutting and 
grinding have an application in the production of certain 
missile components but are also associated with the 
production of nuclear weapons and conventional arms.  Some of 
these general purpose machine tools, which also have multiple 
industrial uses, are controlled by the Wassenaar Arrangement 
(WA) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), while some low-end 
machines are not controlled at all. 
 
Machine tools present a unique non-proliferation challenge in 
that they are extremely common items required for a variety 
of industrial applications completely unrelated to the 
manufacture of missile systems.  The U.S. uses "catch-all" 
controls to effectively address this issue; the U.S. imposes 
"catch-all" export controls based on the end-use or end-user 
of an item or technology, instead of basing controls on the 
capabilities of the equipment or technology regardless of its 
intended use or user.  Therefore, the U.S. "catch-all" 
controls can prohibit an export of a machine tool destined to 
a missile project of concern whether it is a WA or NSG 
controlled item or even if it is not listed on any of the 
multilateral regime control lists. 
 
 
Technical Overview 
 
Machine tools are important for a number of manufacturing 
processes.  There are a wide variety of machine tools 
available but the basic operational characteristics include 
(1) turning, (2) milling, (3) grinding, and (4) cutting, 
generally of metal in the fabrication of very precise parts 
and components. 
 
Turning machines (lathes) are used in the fabrication of 
parts commonly used in nuclear and missile programs as well 
as commercial aircraft engine production.  The parts being 
manufactured rotate during the machining process, while the 
cutter is usually held stationary.  This produces mostly 
cylindrical parts. 
 
Milling machines (or machining centers) are used to fabricate 
parts and components that are not cylindrical.  Multi-axis 
milling machines can move simultaneously around the part 
being manufactured producing complex shapes.  This includes 
the 5-axis milling machines that are commonly used to 
fabricate the most complex components for nuclear weapons, 
missiles, and some conventional weapons, as well as common 
components for the automotive industry and similar industrial 
applications. 
 
Grinding machines remove material from flat and contoured 
surfaces using an abrasive wheel.  These machines are used to 
machine very hard metals and where high-quality surface 
finishes are required.  This category also includes jig 
grinders and cutter grinders that have a small precision 
grinding tool. 
 
The above machine tools vary greatly in size, weight and 
accuracy.  A large facility may not be necessary to utilize 
machine tools; facilities such as average size machine shops 
used by the automotive industry to fabricate parts would be 
sufficient to operate most machine tools. 
 
Licensing and Controls 
 
Machine tools that present a function in the manufacture of 
missiles systems, such as filament winding machines and spin- 
or flow-forming machines are controlled for missile 
technology (MT) reasons and require a license for export.  In 
addition to the production and manufacture of conventional 
arms, nuclear weapons, and usefulness in missile programs, 
machines tools are also utilized in many segments of 
manufacturing throughout the world. However, many common 
machine tools are widely utilized in a plethora of 
industries; from the transportation industry to the 
manufacture of household appliances, but also may require a 
license for export. 
 
This is illustrated by the array of licenses for machine 
tools.  In the past 5 years, the Department of Commerce's 
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has approved 831 
licenses, rejected 6 and returned without action 92 license 
applications for machine tools that are controlled for 
national security or nuclear proliferation reasons but not 
for missile technology.  Of the denials, 3 were rejected due 
to risk of diversion to an unreliable end user or risk of 
diversion to a proliferation program of concern.  During FY 
2007 BIS approved 193 licenses for "machine tools and any 
combination thereof, for removing (or cutting) metals, 
ceramics or composites."  These particular machine tools are 
controlled by the NSG for nuclear proliferation (NP) reasons 
only.  Of the 193 licenses, 94 were destined for Mexico for 
use in manufacturing diesel engines, air conditioning units, 
air wheel and brake components for aircraft, water heaters 
and automotive parts.  One of the 193 applications was denied 
because of a direct and 
significant contribution to power projection, air superiority 
and military capabilities and risk of diversion to programs 
of concern, including missile programs. 
 
The above denials occurred because in the United States 
machine tools that are controlled by either the WA or NSG can 
also be reviewed for missile proliferation reasons and even 
denied for missile proliferation reasons by utilizing the 
Enhanced Proliferation Control Initiative (EPCI) cross-over 
provision in section 742.5 of the Export Administration 
Regulations. 
 
For example, if an item controlled for NP reasons will be 
used in a missile program of concern or by a missile 
end-user, then the license application must meet the 
licensing criteria of both the nuclear and missile 
regulations located in the Export Administration Regulations 
for approval.  In addition, machine tools that are not 
controlled by any regime are still subject to the U.S. and 
MTCR catch-all provisions. 
 
The U.S. also maintains catch-all controls for 
proliferation-based end-uses and end-users in order to stem 
the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction WMD and 
their delivery systems.  Licensing requirements are imposed 
on the export and re-export of any goods and technologies 
when the exporter "knows," has "reason to know," or "is 
informed" by the U.S. Government that the goods or 
technologies will be used in connection with proscribed WMD 
activities such as nuclear explosive activities, missile 
development activities, or chemical/biological weapons 
activities. 
 
Conclusion: 
 
Although machine tools have use in many industries, it is 
important to consider the potential missile-related uses of 
machine tools during the risk assessment in licensing 
process.  Machine tools are precisely the kind of dual-use 
equipment that proliferators are eager to acquire.  Partners 
must use their "catch-all" or other national regulatory 
approaches to have the ability to review exports of non-MTCR 
controlled machine tools to prevent them from being diverted 
to missile end-uses of concern.  This is most critical for 
the more sophisticated machines controlled by the NSG and the 
WA, but also for those machines that fall outside of control 
parameters. 
 
END TEXT OF PAPER. 
 
¶4.  (U) Please slug any reporting on this or other MTCR 
issues for ISN/MTR.  A word version of this document will be 
posted at www.state.sgov.gov/demarche. 
RICE