Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security

United States
Under Secretary of State
for Arms Control and
International Security
Seal of the United States Department of State
since July 22, 2021
NominatorPresident of the United States
Inaugural holderCurtis W. Tarr
Formation1972
Websitestate.gov/t

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

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# 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

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

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# 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

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  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. ^ a b c d e f Senior Official designated as Acting Under Secretary. Not officially appointed as Under Secretary.
  5. ^ "Rose Gottemoeller Designated as Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security". Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "In unusual move, top Trump official rescinds cheery exit letter and resubmits a protest resignation". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Appointed an Officer of the United States and designated Senior Official exercising the authorities of Under Secretary.
  8. ^ "Bonnie Denise Jenkins". United States Department of State. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
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