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Please see current site for Bureau of Arms Control



arms control

nonproliferation

political-military affairs

verification and compliance

Arms Control and International Security

The missions of arms control, nonproliferation, political-military affairs, and verification and compliance are critical to enhancing the ability of the United States to meet the international challenges of the next century. Therefore, following the integration on April 1, 1999, of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency into the Department of State, the Department has placed these missions at the heart of our foreign policy.

These missions, and the Department's activities that support them, are under the policy oversight of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, who also serves as Senior Adviser to the President and the Secretary of State on Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament. Four bureaus of the Department are specifically designated to perform these functions, working in close cooperation with the Department's bureaus responsible for specific regions of the world as well as with other functional bureaus.

The Bureau of Arms Control is responsible for international arms control and disarmament agreements on strategic, chemical/biological, and conventional forces, and supporting ongoing negotiations, policy-making, and interagency implementation efforts related to such agreements.

Giving emphasis to a broad range of efforts to curb proliferation of dangerous weapons and delivery systems, the Bureau of Nonproliferation leads efforts to halt the spread of nuclear, chemical, biological, and conventional weapons and missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.

The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs' primary goal is to bridge U.S. diplomatic efforts and U.S. national security efforts to help ensure that the American people receive the most comprehensive approach to protecting U.S. interest at home and abroad. The Bureau provides policy direction in the area of international security, including critical infrastructure protection, security assistance programs, contingency planning, military coordination, and peacekeeping operations. The Bureau also regulates defense trade and arms transfers and works to destroy excess stockpiles of small arms and light weapons, remove landmines, and mitigate the consequences of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear incidents abroad.

Taking the lead on issues of verification and compliance with international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements and commitments is the Bureau of Verification and Compliance. This Bureau prepares the President's Annual Report to Congress on Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control Agreements and prepares other specialized compliance reports, as well as assessments of the verifiability of arms control and nonproliferation proposals and agreements.