Two-day intensive on building and operating an ITAR compliance program. Covers DDTC registration, USML categorization, technical data controls, deemed export rules, brokering compliance, and recordkeeping. Includes case studies from defense manufacturing engagements.
This two-day intensive gives defense manufacturer compliance teams a structured, practitioner-level foundation for building and operating a defensible ITAR compliance program. Taught by Carl B. Johnson, President and CISO of Cleared Systems, the course draws directly from real defense manufacturing engagements—so every topic is grounded in how these requirements play out on the shop floor, in engineering, and across your supply chain.
The course opens with Directorate of Defense Trade Controls registration requirements: who must register, how to maintain active registration, and the administrative obligations that follow. Participants learn how registration status affects contract eligibility and how lapses create downstream compliance exposure across the organization.
A significant portion of Day One is dedicated to the United States Munitions List. Participants work through the category structure, learn how to evaluate hardware, software, and technical data against USML categories, and practice the analytical process for making defensible categorization decisions. The session addresses common misclassification patterns seen in defense manufacturing environments and how to document the rationale behind categorization conclusions.
Controlling technical data is where many defense manufacturers face their greatest day-to-day ITAR risk. This session covers what constitutes ITAR-controlled technical data, how to identify it within engineering and production workflows, and what access and handling controls are required. Participants examine practical control structures—physical, administrative, and information-system-based—that are proportionate to a manufacturing environment.
The deemed export provisions of ITAR create compliance obligations that are frequently misunderstood or overlooked. The course covers when sharing technical data with a foreign national employee, visitor, or contractor constitutes a deemed export, how to assess nationality and immigration status for compliance purposes, and what authorization or licensing pathways apply. Case studies drawn from manufacturing engagements illustrate how deemed export violations occur and how to prevent them.
Participants learn how ITAR brokering rules apply to defense manufacturers engaged in facilitating transfers or transactions involving defense articles and services. The session clarifies who qualifies as a broker under the regulations, what registration and reporting requirements follow, and how to evaluate whether company activities trigger brokering obligations.
Accurate, complete recordkeeping is both a regulatory requirement and a critical element of audit defense. This session covers the ITAR recordkeeping framework: what records must be created and retained, retention periods, and how to structure a recordkeeping system that supports both routine compliance and DDTC inquiry response. Participants leave with a clear picture of the document artifacts a well-run program must maintain.
This course is built for the professionals your organization relies on to keep ITAR obligations current: export compliance officers, regulatory affairs managers, contracts and licensing specialists, and legal counsel supporting defense programs. It is equally valuable for engineering managers and program managers whose teams generate or handle ITAR-controlled technical data daily.
If you manage a compliance team at a defense manufacturer and you have people responsible for DDTC registrations, USML reviews, employee screening, or export licensing—this is the training that closes the gap between knowing ITAR exists and knowing how to operate under it. Organizations that have engaged Cleared Systems for ongoing ITAR and export controls compliance support will find this course reinforces and extends that work at the practitioner level.
ITAR compliance does not end with training. For organizations ready to formalize or strengthen their broader export control posture, Cleared Systems offers hands-on compliance program development engagements that translate the frameworks covered in this course into documented policies, procedures, and operational controls. To explore how ongoing advisory support fits your organization's needs, visit our engagement models page.
Ask about group rates, private delivery of this curriculum for your team, or whether this session fits your compliance roadmap.
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