Yeah, great idea. After a while, no one will WANT to steal our technology, because it will be about as respected as the Chevy Vega.
Wait until it's three generations old before it can be considered for export. There's no reason we need to export top of the line missile technology or fighters or tanks, etc to any other nations, keep that tech inside the US for our national defense.
I take that also includes the underlying technological building blocks--materials science, computer hardware, et cetera. Pretty soon, no one will want to develop any high-technology device in this country, because unless you can force every American to buy the latest stuff every time the new technology comes out, then there is no way to amortize R&D costs without foreign sales.
If we always stay ahead of the world, it will greatly reduce the risk of being attacked.
Unfortunately, this idea ain't a recipe for doing so.
It can't eliminate it of course, but seeing as how the US produces the 'best stuff", we would always maintain that crucial technology edge.
Actually, we wouldn't. We'd wind up falling behind everyone else, because nobody would invest dollar one in stateside R&D.
And there wouldn't be the "need' to always review this or that, as no leading edge would be considered, only the semi-obsolete but still functioning stuff.
Yeah, no need for reviewing export licenses, nobody would want one.
As in "sure, whoknowswhereistan, buy some phantoms from us, but no getting f-16's or raptors, sorree".
OK, so would you OK export of 80386 computers, but not Intel P4s or AMD Athlons? How about composite manufacturing know-how? Where do you draw the line? These satellites were CIVILIAN systems, dude.
Yes, I know "other countries will just sell the arms", I sez so what, our stuff is still mostly better, and these other countries won't be reverse engineering and using our taxpayer supported R&D money to make weapons with so they can export.
No, they'd just experience an R&D funding bonanza so they wouldn't NEED to reverse-engineer our stuff.
My bottom line is never money as the number one consideration when contemplating business. Probably why I think and write as I do compared to most folks who take loot as the most important thing in the world. I never have, ever. Guess it's a sin on my part or something.... anyway, I see no easy solution to it. Where I would draw the immediate line is weaponry without any doubt whatsoever, not so much as a single bullet exported, let alone any high tech stuff. I just find the prospect of chinese fighters carrying US made commo and built with us jet engine technology and israeli air to airs partly developed with our money to be sorta silly. I see iraq having fiber optic communications shipped from the us via china as more than a touch hypocritical and silly. The prospect of saudi fighters being used against israeli fighters, both from the US is sorta silly. Examples like that. Like why bomb iraq then, why not go directly to the plant that manufactuers the stuff and bomb them, eliminate the middle men, much more efficient.
%^)
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So, how would you deal with it? No restrictions, total international free market? Cash wins? Open to suggestions here.