Defense Logistics and Trade Compliance Glossary

DDTC registration is the mandatory enrollment with the U.S. State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls required under 22 CFR Part 122 of any U.S. person who manufactures, exports, temporarily imports, or brokers defense articles or defense services. Registration is a prerequisite to applying for any ITAR license.

Forward Systems Group holds DDTC registration M28606. Registration must be current at the time of export, not merely at the time the license was granted.

ITAR & EAR compliance →

A DSP-5 is the DDTC license authorizing the permanent export of unclassified defense articles and related technical data from the United States. It names the specific commodity, quantity, value, end user, and destination, and the export must conform to all of them.

A DSP-61 is the DDTC license authorizing the temporary import of unclassified defense articles into the United States. It is used when foreign-origin defense equipment transits U.S. territory en route to a third country, or enters the U.S. for repair, testing, or evaluation before being returned.

KFIR engine transshipment case study →

The EAR is the body of U.S. regulation at 15 CFR Parts 730–774 governing the export of dual-use and commercial items listed on the Commerce Control List. It is administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Most commercial goods are designated EAR99 and need no license for most destinations. Items with an Export Control Classification Number may require a license depending on destination, end user, and end use.

ITAR & EAR compliance →

The Exporter of Record is the party legally responsible for a U.S. export: filing accurate Electronic Export Information, holding the required license or exemption, screening the transaction parties, and retaining records for five years. It is normally the U.S. Principal Party in Interest, though a foreign buyer may appoint a U.S. agent in a routed export transaction.

Exporter of Record services →

ITAR is the body of U.S. regulation at 22 CFR Parts 120–130 governing the export, temporary import, and brokering of defense articles and defense services listed on the United States Munitions List. It is administered by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls at the U.S. Department of State.

Anyone who manufactures, exports, or brokers USML items must register with DDTC, and each export requires an approved license or a documented exemption. Civil penalties exceed one million dollars per violation.

ITAR & EAR compliance →

Trade compliance is the discipline of ensuring that every cross-border movement of goods, software, and technology meets the applicable export control, customs, sanctions, and screening requirements of each jurisdiction involved. In the United States it spans ITAR, the EAR, OFAC sanctions, and CBP customs law.

Compliance overview →

The USML is the list of defense articles and defense services subject to ITAR control, published at 22 CFR Part 121. It is organized into 21 categories covering everything from firearms and ammunition to military aircraft, spacecraft, and the technical data associated with them.

ITAR jurisdiction is triggered by an item's presence on the USML, not by its commercial availability or its intended use in a given transaction.

ITAR & EAR compliance →

C-TPAT is a voluntary U.S. Customs and Border Protection programme in which companies implement documented supply chain security measures against CBP's published minimum security criteria, validated by CBP on site. Members receive reduced examination rates, priority processing, and front-of-line treatment after a border disruption.

Forward Systems Group participates under account number 12723076.

C-TPAT supply chain security →

CUI is government-created or government-owned information that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls under law, regulation, or government-wide policy, but which is not classified. In defense logistics, shipment routing, end-user identity, quantities, and technical data for controlled items are commonly designated CUI.

NIST SP 800-171 & CUI →

An Indirect Air Carrier is a freight forwarder approved by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to tender cargo to passenger and all-cargo aircraft. IAC status requires a TSA-approved standard security programme, vetted personnel, and adherence to cargo screening requirements.

Forward Systems Group operates as a TSA-approved Indirect Air Carrier.

Air freight services →

NIST Special Publication 800-171 is the U.S. standard specifying security requirements for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in nonfederal information systems. Revision 3 defines 110 requirements across fourteen control families. DFARS clause 252.204-7012 makes compliance contractually binding for most Department of Defense contractors and flows down to subcontractors.

NIST SP 800-171 & CUI →

Electronic Export Information is the export data set that U.S. law requires to be filed through the Automated Export System for most shipments valued over $2,500 per Schedule B number, and for all shipments requiring an export license regardless of value. The filing party is normally the Exporter of Record.

Customs brokerage is the licensed practice of filing entry documentation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on an importer's behalf, and of ensuring that imported goods are correctly classified, valued, and released. Brokers are licensed by CBP and carry professional responsibility for the accuracy of what they file.

What Forward Systems Group is licensed for →

A TIB permits goods to enter the United States duty-free for a limited period, usually one year and extendable to three, on condition that they are exported or destroyed rather than sold. It is commonly used for equipment entering for repair, testing, or exhibition.

Warehousing and distribution →

AOG is the aviation term for an aircraft that cannot fly until a specific part arrives. AOG expediting is the corresponding logistics discipline: moving that part by next-flight-out air freight, on-board courier, or dedicated charter, with customs and export authorizations pre-arranged so nothing waits at a border.

Aerospace supply chain & AOG →

Dangerous goods are articles or substances that pose a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment in transport, classified into nine hazard classes. Their movement is governed by the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations by air, the IMDG Code by sea, and 49 CFR by road within the United States.

HAZMAT & dangerous goods →

FMC licensing is the authorization an Ocean Transportation Intermediary, meaning an NVOCC or an ocean freight forwarder, needs to operate in U.S. foreign commerce. It requires a bond, a qualifying individual with relevant experience, and adherence to the Shipping Act.

Ocean freight & NVOCC →

HAZMAT is the U.S. domestic term for hazardous materials in transportation, regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration under 49 CFR. Shippers, carriers, and forwarders handling HAZMAT must hold current function-specific training renewed at least every three years.

HAZMAT & dangerous goods →

IATA is the trade association of the world's airlines, and its cargo agency programme accredits freight forwarders to issue air waybills and tender cargo to member airlines. IATA also publishes the Dangerous Goods Regulations, the operative standard for shipping hazardous materials by air.

Forward Systems Group is an IATA accredited cargo agent, agent number 0111789.

Air freight services →

Incoterms are eleven internationally recognized trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce that define the respective obligations of buyer and seller for delivery, risk transfer, transport cost, insurance, and customs formalities. The 2020 edition is the current version.

Incoterms 2020 reference →

An NVOCC is a common carrier that issues its own bills of lading and assumes contractual carrier responsibility for cargo, but buys vessel space from ocean carriers rather than operating ships. NVOCCs in U.S. trades must be licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission.

Forward Systems Group holds FMC license 024278NF.

Ocean freight & NVOCC →

The aerospace supply chain is the network moving engines, rotables, avionics, structures, and ground support equipment between manufacturers, MRO facilities, and operators. Its defining constraints are traceability, since every part carries certification documentation, and time criticality, since a missing part grounds an aircraft.

Aerospace supply chain & AOG →

Defense logistics is the planning, licensing, and physical movement of military and defense-related cargo under applicable export control law. It combines conventional freight forwarding with export licensing, security, chain-of-custody documentation, and often escort, because the regulatory failure modes carry heavier consequences than the transport ones.

Defense logistics →

The Northrop F-5 is a supersonic light fighter operated by numerous allied air forces, many of which now sustain the type well beyond its original service life. F-5 platform logistics is dominated by spares sourcing, engine overhaul movements, and the export licensing required to keep aging fleets flying.

Aerospace supply chain & AOG →

Foreign Military Sales is the U.S. government-to-government programme through which allied and partner nations purchase defense articles, services, and training from the United States. Each case is governed by a Letter of Offer and Acceptance that specifies what is sold, the delivery term, and the point of delivery.

FMS logistics →

FMS logistics is the transportation, licensing, and documentation discipline that moves Foreign Military Sales cargo from the U.S. supplier to the partner nation's designated delivery point. It differs from commercial freight forwarding because every movement must reconcile the transport contract with the governing Letter of Offer and Acceptance and the applicable ITAR authorization.

FMS logistics →

The Miami logistics gateway is the concentration of air, ocean, and customs infrastructure in South Florida that handles the majority of United States trade with Latin America and the Caribbean. It takes in Miami International Airport, the busiest international freight airport in the U.S., alongside PortMiami, Port Everglades, and the dense broker and forwarder community in Doral.

Miami logistics gateway →

Military aviation logistics is the movement and sustainment of military aircraft, engines, and spares. It layers export control and security requirements on top of ordinary aviation logistics: a rotor head and a commercial turbofan may travel on the same aircraft, but only one requires a DDTC license, an approved end user, and documented chain of custody.

Aerospace supply chain & AOG →

The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine medium-lift utility helicopter built by Sikorsky and operated by the U.S. Army and more than thirty allied nations. Supporting the platform logistically means moving complete airframes, T700 engines, dynamic components, and ground support equipment, all of it USML-controlled.

Black Hawk delivery to Jordan →