Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security explained

Post:United States
Under Secretary of State
for Arms Control and
International Security
Insignia:US Department of State official seal.svg
Insigniasize:120px
Insigniacaption:Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent:Bonnie Jenkins
Incumbentsince:July 22, 2021
Nominator:President of the United States
Formation:1972
Inaugural:Curtis W. Tarr

The Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security (T) is a position within the U.S. Department of State that serves as Senior Adviser to the President and the Secretary of State for Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament.

In this capacity, the Under Secretary (U/S) attends and participates, at the direction of the President, in National Security Council (NSC) and subordinate meetings pertaining to arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament and has the right to communicate, through the Secretary of State, with the President and members of the NSC on arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament concerns.

The U/S also leads the interagency policy process on nonproliferation and manages global U.S. security policy, principally in the areas of nonproliferation, arms control, regional security and defense relations, and arms transfers and security assistance. The U/S provides policy direction in the following areas: nonproliferation, including the missile and nuclear areas, as well as chemical, biological, and conventional weapons proliferation; arms control, including negotiation, ratification, verification and compliance, and implementation of agreements on strategic, non-conventional, and conventional forces; regional security and defense relations, involving policy regarding U.S. security commitments worldwide as well as on the use of U.S. military forces in unilateral or international peacekeeping roles; and arms transfers and security assistance programs and arms transfer policies.

By delegation from the Secretary, the U/S performs a range of functions under the Foreign Assistance Act, Arms Export Control Act, and related legislation. The bureaus of International Security and Nonproliferation, Political-Military Affairs, and Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance are under the policy oversight of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security. By statute, the Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, and the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs all report to the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.

According to the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, the Under Secretary first received the permanent title "Senior Adviser to the President and the Secretary of State for Arms Control, Nonproliferation and Disarmament" when the Clinton administration decided to merge the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the United States Information Agency into the State Department, as well as realigning the United States Agency for International Development with it.

List of Under Secretaries of State for International Security Affairs, 1972–1993

NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under
1Curtis W. TarrMay 2, 1972November 25, 1973Richard Nixon
2William H. DonaldsonNovember 26, 1973May 10, 1974Richard Nixon
3Carlyle E. MawJuly 10, 1974September 17, 1976Gerald Ford
4Lucy W. Benson[1] March 28, 1977January 5, 1980Jimmy Carter
5Matthew NimetzFebruary 21, 1980December 5, 1980Jimmy Carter
6James L. BuckleyFebruary 28, 1981August 20, 1982Ronald Reagan
7William Schneider Jr.September 9, 1982October 31, 1986Ronald Reagan
8Ed DerwinskiMarch 24, 1987January 21, 1989Ronald Reagan
9Reginald BartholomewApril 20, 1989July 7, 1992George H. W. Bush
10Frank G. WisnerJuly 20, 1992January 19, 1993George H. W. Bush

List of Under Secretaries of State for Arms Control and International Security, 1993–present

NameAssumed officeLeft officePresident served under
11Lynn Etheridge DavisApril 1, 1993August 8, 1997Bill Clinton
12John D. Holum[2] December 1, 1997[3] August 7, 2000Bill Clinton
13May 11, 2001July 31, 2005George W. Bush
14Robert JosephJune 1, 2005March 2, 2007George W. Bush
-John Rood (acting)[4] September 26, 2007January 20, 2009George W. Bush
15Ellen TauscherJune 26, 2009February 7, 2012Barack Obama
16Rose Gottemoeller[5] February 7, 2012
Acting: February 7–March 7, 2014
October 12, 2016Barack Obama
-Thomas M. Countryman (acting)October 12, 2016January 27, 2017Barack Obama/Donald Trump
-C.S. Eliot Kang (acting)January 27, 2017January 9, 2018Donald Trump
-Christopher Ashley Ford (acting)January 9, 2018April 30, 2018Donald Trump
17Andrea L. ThompsonApril 30, 2018October 20, 2019Donald Trump
-Christopher Ashley Ford (acting)October 21, 2019January 8, 2021[6] Donald Trump
-Marshall Billingslea (acting)January 11, 2021January 20, 2021Donald Trump
-C.S. Eliot Kang (as Senior Official)[7] January 20, 2021July 21, 2021Joe Biden
18Bonnie JenkinsJuly 22, 2021[8] Joe Biden

External links

Notes and References

  1. By administrative action, Benson's titled was renamed "Under Secretary for Security Assistance," and then, on August 22, 1977, as "Under Secretary for Security Assistance, Science, and Technology." The position reverted to its former name during the Reagan Administration.
  2. Served as Acting Under Secretary beginning December 15, 1997. He was commissioned as Under Secretary on August 7, 2000, during a recess of the Senate, but his appointment was rejected by the Senate on September 28, 2000.
  3. This date is given on the State Department's website: state.gov, however, it appears to be incorrect because John Bolton took over this position on May 11, 2001.
  4. Senior Official designated as Acting Under Secretary. Not officially appointed as Under Secretary.
  5. Web site: Rose Gottemoeller Designated as Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security . 2023-05-03.
  6. News: In unusual move, top Trump official rescinds cheery exit letter and resubmits a protest resignation . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-05-03 . 0190-8286.
  7. Appointed an Officer of the United States and designated Senior Official exercising the authorities of Under Secretary.
  8. Web site: Bonnie Denise Jenkins. 2021-09-27. United States Department of State. en-US.