By Karen Freifeld
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Alan Estevez to serve as under secretary of commerce for industry and security, a key post overseeing restrictions on exports to countries like Russia and China.
Estevez, a former Pentagon official, will take the helm of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is now using export controls to keep goods and technology from Russia’s military and industry in response to its war against Ukraine.
The bureau helped bring together an unprecedented coalition of 33 countries imposing controls on Russia to hamper its war effort. It also has been at the center of the U.S.-China tech battle.
“Commerce is at the forefront of the Biden-Harris Administration’s response to Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine and many other critical national security priorities, and I appreciate the Senate’s action to confirm Alan Estevez as Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “We look forward to him getting to work.”
(Editing by Chris Sanders and Bill Berkrot)
