Office of Export Enforcement (OEE)
OEE Special Agents are sworn Federal law enforcement officers with authority to make arrests, execute search warrants, serve subpoenas, and detain and seize goods about to be illegally exported.
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Office overview and responsibilities
The Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) protects U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic interests by investigating violations, prosecuting violators of export control laws, interdicting illegal exports, and educating parties to export transactions on how to improve export compliance practices. OEE Special Agents work hand-in-hand with Export Specialists, analysts, licensing officials, and policy staff to prevent the export of items from falling into the hands of unreliable users, which can prove damaging to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.
Personnel and resources
Special Agent / Criminal Investigator (1811)
OEE Special Agents are sworn federal law enforcement officers with authority to bear firearms, make arrests, execute search warrants, serve subpoenas, search, inspect, detain, seize, and administratively forfeit items about to be illegally exported, reexported, or transferred (in-country), as well as conveyances involved in such exports, reexports, and transfers (in-country), and order the redelivery to the United States of items exported in violation of U.S. law. OEE is the only federal law enforcement agency exclusively dedicated to the administrative and criminal enforcement of export control laws, and that singular focus allows for the development of the requisite subject matter expertise to be able to effectively enforce a complex regulatory regime. Some cases may require years of thorough investigation to bring a matter to a successful completion.
Export Control Officers
BIS also has Export Control Officers (ECOs) in nine overseas locations. ECOs are BIS personnel on detail to the Foreign Commercial Service and report directly to the Embassies/Consulates to which they are posted, with direction and oversight by Export Enforcement. ECOs are posted in: Beijing, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, New Delhi, Finland, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Export Compliance Specialist (1801)
OEE employs Export Compliance Specialists which support the OEE mission by providing administrative and investigative support.
Sentinel Program
Many end-use checks are conducted through BIS' Sentinel Program. Trained OEE Special Agents are deployed from the United States to countries to visit the end-users of sensitive controlled commodities and determine whether these items are being used in accordance with license conditions.
Sentinel teams assess the suitability of foreign end-users to receive U.S.-origin licensed goods and technology, assess prospective end-users on pending license applications for diversion risk, and conduct educational outreach to foreign trade groups. In this way, Sentinel trips help to create the confidence needed to foster trade while strengthening U.S. national security.
Outreach Program
The purpose of the outreach program is to prevent illegal exports by educating industry about export controls and enlisting industry’s cooperation in protecting our national security and foreign policy objectives. An outreach is a one-on-one visit with the representative of a company. It is normally done in person, but in certain instances it is conducted over the phone. OEE seeks to outreach all parties involved in export activity to include, but not limited to, manufacturers, exporters, and freight forwarders.
Office leadership
Steve Fisher
Director, OEE
Dan Clutch
Deputy Director, OEE
Learn more about Export Enforcement
Export Enforcement protects and promotes U.S. national security by aggressively investigating violations of the export control and antiboycott regulations and by partnering with industry and academia to facilitate compliance with those regulations.