Rapid Fire Feb. 28, 2012: ITARred and Feathered

• No less than four congressional hearings are scheduled today to review the FY13 Pentagon budget. See our full schedule. Opposition to base closures continues with this letter [PDF] written by Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and co-signed by 41 other members of Congress. Meanwhile representatives from districts with a small defense footprint can afford to sound virtuous about cuts.

• The US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) published the public comments [PDF] they received in response to proposed amendments [PDF] to ITAR Part 129 on brokering licensing and activities. The British Export Group for Aerospace and Defence (EGAD) captured well the pushback expressed by many other parties against the overreach that the proposed changes would translate into: