Dear Arms Control Association Members and Friends:
We hope that you and your families are taking care and staying safe during this unprecedented worldwide struggle against the novel coronavirus crisis.
Whether it is managing the impacts of a global disease pandemic, addressing the ongoing global climate emergency, or preventing the outbreak of nuclear war, we are all in this together.
The coronavirus crisis underscores how effective global governance and smart, coordinated actions at the international, national, and community level can make a difference.
Our staff and Board of Directors remain committed to advancing the core mission of the Arms Control Association: eliminating the threats posed by the world's most dangerous weapons. Thanks to our loyal members and supporters, we are fortunate to have the resources and flexibility necessary to continue our work in the difficult months ahead.
Here is what we are doing:
- Our 12-person staff team is now set up for teleworking. We will continue our work, including producing and publishing the news and analysis you have come to rely upon, such as our flagship journal, Arms Control Today.
- In the coming weeks, we will offer new virtual engagement opportunities for members and other supporters. Our 2020 Annual Meeting has been postponed and will shift to an interactive streaming format. We’ll continue our series of occasional member telebriefings. We’ll also be active through our social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
- We will continue our public policy and media outreach campaigns to shore-up the guardrails against nuclear catastrophe: the nonproliferation and arms control agreements and diplomacy that are increasingly under threat.
- As a leader in the field, we will continue to communicate with other organizations, experts, and networks in the United States and around the world about how we can adapt to the changes that the coronavirus crisis will impose on the international system. We will continue to encourage more effective international cooperation and governance.
We all may be more physically distant these days, but we ask that you stay in touch, and we welcome your suggestions and ideas. We all need one another more than ever.
You can contact us at 202-463-8270 or at [email protected]
Thank you for your support. Please take care of yourself and others.
Daryl G. Kimball
Executive Director
Budget Priorities in the Age of Contagion
As described in our latest Issue Brief, "Surging U.S. Nuclear Weapons Budget a Growing Danger," the U.S. government spends tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to maintain a massive nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the planet many times over.
But the latest news reports make it clear that we don’t have a stockpile of masks large enough to protect front-line health care workers who are risking their lives in the battle against the coronavirus.
At the price of fifty cents a mask, it would cost approximately $1.75 billion to build-up the national supply of medical-grade N95 masks to the level necessary to deal with the pandemic for one year. That is far less than the $7.2 billion increase in funding requested by the Trump administration in fiscal year 2021 for nuclear weapons programs.
For years, the Arms Control Association has led the way to develop alternative approaches that would save hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and trim the size of the bloated U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal. Our comprehensive 2019 report, U.S. Nuclear Excess, and our interactive web site – www.usnuclearexcess.org – detail the costs and the policy solutions.
In the coming weeks, key Congressional committees will be making decisions on nuclear spending. Our team is redoubling our advocacy work to redirect federal spending on excessive, costly and dangerous nuclear weapons programs to instead meet real human needs, including the public health resources needed to reduce the toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
Calling All Members: Please Vote Online for Our 2020 Slate of Board Directors
All Arms Control Association members are invited to participate in the online proxy vote (usually conducted in conjunction with our Annual Meeting) for our 2020-2022 Class of the Board of Directors.
Please submit your vote online by April 10.
If you have any questions about your membership status, please contact us directly at [email protected] or 202-463-8270 x105.
Arms Control Restraints At Risk
Since 1971, the Arms Control Association has been a creative and effective advocate for sensible arms control solutions to address the toughest weapons-related security challenges.
Today’s decisions and actions will determine what kind of future we are going to live in tomorrow. Here’s how you can help:
- Join or renew your membership. Make a commitment to effective arms control solutions. Get access to the flagship monthly journal Arms Control Today and more.
- Get the latest information through our email alerts and in-depth e-newsletters on topics including the Iran nuclear deal and U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control.
- Take action. Progress in arms control and disarmament depends on public pressure. Become part of our action alert network to contact policymakers on priority issues.
- Give a gift subscription to Arms Control Today, the authoritative source on weapons-related security issues. Online subscriptions are only $25.
- Be an ambassador. Help spread the word! You can help share the Association’s resources with your professional and social networks.
- Consider planned giving. Our staff can help you make a bequest of charitable assets to support our work in the years ahead. Contact us at [email protected] or 202-463-8270, ext. 105.
Position Openings in the Field
Several of our colleague organizations have recently announced job openings:
Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Stanton Senior Fellow will have considerable latitude within the program framework to develop a work agenda of her or his choosing, including by working collaboratively with other scholars in the Nuclear Policy Program and across Carnegie's global network. Application deadline April 27. Learn more.
Acting Director of Dual-Use and Arms Trade Controls Research Assistant
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
The candidate should be able to make an outstanding contribution to the Institute’s research and capacity-building activities in the area of dual-use and arms trade control. Application deadline April 12. Learn more.
Outreach Coordinator and Research Analyst
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and Council for a Livable World
The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and the Council for a Livable World are seeking a dynamic and creative Outreach Coordinator and Research Analyst for a one-year project to expand our Congressional education efforts and promote our policy goals with civic and grassroots communities. Application deadline April 7. Learn more.