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In 2000, the processing of arms export licenses was taken away from the Ministry of Defense’s department in charge of arms export promotion in order to reinforce control procedures. This reform was later cancelled in 2008, with the aim of reinforcing export promotion. How can we explain such a reversal, which coincides with a change of the political party in power, even though the academic literature views defense policy as being unaffected by changes in political majority? Thanks to the programmatic approach, this article demonstrates that the nature of change is best explained by the politicization of the allocation of export control and promotion functions by administrative and political actors. However, the change in political majority cannot explain the timing of change. To do this, it is necessary to study the power struggles between the various actors.