Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
The under secretary of state for arms control and international security (T) is a position within the U.S. Department of State that serves as a senior adviser to the president and the secretary of state for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament.
| United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 | |
| Nominator | President of the United States |
| Inaugural holder | Curtis W. Tarr |
| Formation | 1972 |
| Website | state |
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
editInternational security affairs, 1972–1993
edit| # | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curtis W. Tarr | May 2, 1972 | November 25, 1973 | Richard Nixon |
| 2 | William H. Donaldson | November 26, 1973 | May 10, 1974 | Richard Nixon |
| 3 | Carlyle E. Maw | July 10, 1974 | September 17, 1976 | Gerald Ford |
| 4 | Lucy W. Benson[1] | March 28, 1977 | January 5, 1980 | Jimmy Carter |
| 5 | Matthew Nimetz | February 21, 1980 | December 5, 1980 | Jimmy Carter |
| 6 | James L. Buckley | February 28, 1981 | August 20, 1982 | Ronald Reagan |
| 7 | William Schneider Jr. | September 9, 1982 | October 31, 1986 | Ronald Reagan |
| 8 | Ed Derwinski | March 24, 1987 | January 21, 1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| 9 | Reginald Bartholomew | April 20, 1989 | July 7, 1992 | George H. W. Bush |
| 10 | Frank G. Wisner | July 20, 1992 | January 19, 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
Arms control and international security, 1993–present
edit| # | Name | Assumed office | Left office | President served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Lynn Etheridge Davis | April 1, 1993 | August 8, 1997 | Bill Clinton |
| 12 | John D. Holum[2] | December 1, 1997[3] | August 7, 2000 | Bill Clinton |
| 13 | John R. Bolton | May 11, 2001 | July 31, 2005 | George W. Bush |
| 14 | Robert Joseph | June 1, 2005 | March 2, 2007 | George W. Bush |
| - | John Rood (acting)[4] | September 26, 2007 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush |
| 15 | Ellen Tauscher | June 26, 2009 | February 7, 2012 | Barack Obama |
| 16 | Rose Gottemoeller[5] | February 7, 2012 Acting: February 7–March 7, 2014 |
October 12, 2016 | Barack Obama |
| - | Thomas M. Countryman (acting)[4] | October 12, 2016 | January 27, 2017 | Barack Obama/Donald Trump |
| - | C.S. Eliot Kang (acting)[4] | January 27, 2017 | January 9, 2018 | Donald Trump |
| - | Christopher Ashley Ford (acting)[4] | January 9, 2018 | April 30, 2018 | Donald Trump |
| 17 | Andrea L. Thompson | April 30, 2018 | October 20, 2019 | Donald Trump |
| - | Christopher Ashley Ford (acting)[4] | October 21, 2019 | January 8, 2021[6] | Donald Trump |
| - | Marshall Billingslea (acting)[4] | January 11, 2021 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump |
| - | C.S. Eliot Kang (as Senior Official)[7] | January 20, 2021 | July 21, 2021 | Joe Biden |
| 18 | Bonnie Jenkins | July 22, 2021[8] | Joe Biden |
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f Senior Official designated as Acting Under Secretary. Not officially appointed as Under Secretary.
- ^ "Rose Gottemoeller Designated as Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security". Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "In unusual move, top Trump official rescinds cheery exit letter and resubmits a protest resignation". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ Appointed an Officer of the United States and designated Senior Official exercising the authorities of Under Secretary.
- ^ "Bonnie Denise Jenkins". United States Department of State. Retrieved September 27, 2021.