Even if there is surplus of particular type of weapon, exports could be blocked at any time, — arms manufacturers
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense plays a decisive role in arms exports, because if they oppose an export, they will not grant an export license.
This is discussed in an article by Censor.NET.
The process
According to the author, Tetiana Nikolaienko, no one has banned arms exports, but there are a number of bureaucratic barriers that restrict or prevent exports in specific cases.
"During the interagency coordination of export licenses, the State Export Control Service of Ukraine (SECSU) must submit requests to key agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and, in some cases, the Ministry of Economy," she explained.
Right now, the Ministry of Defense plays a decisive role, because if they oppose the export, they won't grant an export license.
The Ministry of Defense is expected to receive a joint report from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. If the General Staff states that there is a need for these items, the Ministry of Defense will definitely issue a negative opinion.
"The problem is that the military has unlimited needs that no one in the world will ever be able to meet with money. The main question is: if a manufacturer is not failing to fulfill domestic orders, if it is capable of producing more but the Ministry of Defense cannot purchase more, will the Ministry of Defense approve the export of such excess capacity?"
For example: there are reconnaissance drones, without combat payloads, that can be produced in quantities far greater than what the Ministry of Defense orders. But if an application to export such reconnaissance drones is submitted now, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine might again say, "Yes, there’s no money, but the need is great; we’re against exporting them"—and that would be a bureaucratic dead end," explained a source familiar with the arms market to Censor.NET.
