100 Trade and Textile Enforcement Employees to Leave OFO and Join OT Effective December 24th
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials and press reports, 100 trade and textile enforcement employees from the Office of Field Operations (OFO) will transfer to the new Office of International Trade (OT, previously the Office of Strategic Trade), effective December 24, 2006.
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Four Organizations are, or Will be, Within New Office of International Trade
CBP officials confirm that the following four organizations have already transferred (on October 15, 2006), or will transfer (on December 24, 2006) to OT:
Office of Trade Policy and Programs (Ann Maricich, acting director)
Certain current OFO organizations will be under this office (partial list): Textile Enforcement and Operations Division (Quota and Visa Branch, Textile Operations Branch, and Textile Policy Branch); Summary and Account Management Division, National Account Managers (Import Specialists will remain in OFO), etc.)
Office of Commercial Enforcement and Targeting (headed by Vera Adams)
Office of Regulations and Rulings (headed by Sandra Bell)
Office of Regulatory Audit (headed by Cindy Covell)
(Prior to the creation of OT, CBP had previously stated that the functions of trade policy and program development were in three offices within CBP: the Office of Strategic Trade (OST), the Office of Regulations and Rulings (OR&R), and the Office of Field Operations (OFO).)
Regarding the splitting up of OFO, sources previously stated that "OT will not make policies in a vacuum." Other sources noted that in the past, dividing groups between different offices impeded their ability to work together, similar to working at different companies in the private sector.
Sources also expect the organizations under OT to physically move in order to co-locate.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 11/09/06 news, 06110905 for most recent prior update on new Office of International Trade.
See ITT's Online Archives or 09/15/06 news, 06091505, for BP summary of CBP's announcement of the creation of the Office of Trade.
See ITT's Online Archives or 10/17/06 news, 06101710 for BP summary of the "Safe Por"t Act, which formalized in law, and added certain requirements for, CBP's OT.)