Office of Enforcement Analysis (OEA)

Office overview and responsibilities

The Office of Enforcement Analysis (OEA) supports the Export Enforcement (EE) mission by providing crucial information for adjudicating export control licenses, preventing the diversion of export-controlled items, identifying potential violators, and facilitating law enforcement actions to ensure compliance with U.S. export control regulations.

The OEA plays a pivotal role in supporting the EE mission through comprehensive research and analysis. Its primary functions include furnishing essential information to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the broader interagency export control community. This information aids in the adjudication of export control license applications, ensuring that the approval process is well-informed and aligned with national security priorities. OEA also contributes to the promotion of U.S. exports by actively working to prevent the diversion or misuse of export-controlled items abroad. This involves conducting end-use checks, outreach initiatives, and cooperation with foreign governments.

OEA is dedicated to identifying potential violators of export control laws that could pose threats to U.S. national security. The office actively supports law enforcement actions that may result in criminal and civil penalties, thereby fostering compliance with the U.S. export control regime. OEA's analysts focus on researching and analyzing instances of diversion, particularly those related to top-tier national security threats such as Weapons of Mass Destruction proliferators, terrorist groups or state supporters of terrorism, and potential adversary states. In essence, OEA's work is instrumental in upholding the integrity of U.S. export controls and safeguarding against threats posed by the unauthorized diversion of sensitive items.

Investigative Analysis Division (IAD)

The Investigative Analysis Division (IAD) identifies and supports export enforcement actions to pursue appropriate criminal and civil penalties against perpetrators of violations of the U.S. export control regime. IAD develops enforcement leads and provides case support to OEE Field Offices across the United States. In addition, IAD works with the interagency partners—defense, diplomatic, regulatory, intelligence, and enforcement—to identify illicit procurement networks of export-controlled goods and to bring to bear all instruments of national power to disrupt, disable, and dismantle these networks.

International Operations Division (IOD)

The International Operations Division (IOD) evaluates end-users of controlled transactions, including exports and license applications, to identify targets for pre-license checks (PLCs) and post-shipment verifications (PSVs). The results of these end-use checks are used to support future license decisions and evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. export controls. IOD also provides enforcement policy support to BIS and works with other U.S. Government agencies and foreign governments to provide information to facilitate effective export controls.

Strategic Intelligence Division (SID)

The Strategic Intelligence Division (SID) serves as the executive agent for the interagency Information Triage Unit, established under the President's Export Control Reform initiative, and provides all-source information regarding foreign end-users of U.S.-controlled items to BIS and interagency partners to determine potential diversion risks when making licensing decisions. In addition, SID supports compliance initiatives and law enforcement actions that contribute to maintaining an effective U.S. export control system, including reviews of parties to BIS's Entity List and Validated End-User program.

Export Control Officer Program (ECO Program)

BIS Export Control Officers (ECOs) play a unique and critical role in monitoring the compliance of transactions subject to BIS’s Export Administration Regulations (EAR) outside the United States to prevent and detect illicit diversion to unauthorized end uses, end users, or destinations. ECOs are BIS Special Agents who swear into the Department of Commerce’s Foreign Commercial Service under limited appointments.These overseas BIS representatives leverage their law enforcement, commercial, and diplomatic skills to expand the U.S. government’s export compliance capabilities beyond its borders and into key overseas trade centers. BIS currently has eleven ECO positions overseas: at the U.S. Embassies in Beijing, China (two officers); New Delhi, India; Helsinki, Finland; and Singapore; and at the U.S. Consulates in Hong Kong, China; Frankfurt, Germany (two officers); Dubai, United Arab Emirates; The American Institute in Taiwan; and Istanbul, Turkey.  Additionally, BIS has an export control analyst stationed in Ottawa, Canada.

Would you like to work in the Office of Enforcement Analysis?

The skills required to serve as an OEA intelligence or enforcement analyst include the ability to:

• Conduct all-source research pursuant to obtaining all relevant information against an assigned target.
• Utilize office suite computer applications and master multiple database and computer systems for recordation, analysis, targeting, and exposition.
• Work effectively and in coordination with other highly-trained professionals in BIS, other law enforcement, intelligence, defense, diplomatic, and regulatory agencies, and embassies abroad.
• Communicate accurately, concisely, and cogently in writing and speech.
• Have or be eligible to obtain the highest-level security clearances.

Do you have these skills and abilities and seek the challenge of the OEA mission?

See available positions

Submit an inquiry

For optimal guidance on BIS rules and regulations, we strongly recommend getting in touch with our team of export counselors. Our committed staff is at your service from Monday to Friday, dedicated to assisting you in achieving compliance and simplifying the intricate realm of exports.

202-482-4255