We are just three weeks into the new year, and with your generous support, our team is already deeply engaged on efforts to reduce the risk posed by nuclear weapons and other security challenges of 2019:
- With a second Trump-Kim summit on denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula on the way, our staff is working to outline what is at stake and how to maximize the chances for success. To stay up to date, sign up for our new North Korea Denuclearization Digest newsletter.
- As U.S.-Russian tensions over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty dispute worsen, we continue to press both sides to redouble diplomatic efforts to preserve the treaty—publicly and privately. As the Trump administration moves to start withdrawing from the treaty on Feb. 2, we will continue to press key states to work to prevent a new Euro-missile race.
- We also continue to rally congressional and expert support for a five-year extension of New START before it expires in 2021. For more on why extending the treaty is critical, see the new article by Lt. Gen. (ret.) Frank Klotz in Arms Control Today.
- On Jan. 17, our team provided a rapid-response Issue Brief analyzing the Trump administration’s dangerous plan for missile defense. As Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy Kingston Reif writes, “The long-awaited Missile Defense Review proposes a significant and costly expansion of the role and scope of U.S. missile defenses that is likely to exacerbate Russian and Chinese concerns about the threat to their strategic nuclear deterrents."
- Next month, we will be rolling out a new report and website to raise awareness and build support for more cost-effective alternatives to and saner thinking about U.S. nuclear weapons policy, including moving toward a policy of “no first use,” which is supported by the new Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Adam Smith (D-Wash.).
And with the arrival of a new Congress, our staff and Board Chairman, Tom Countryman, are already busy meeting and briefing new staff and members on these and other issues.
These are big challenges. We appreciate your interest and support. Please consider asking a friend or colleague to join the Association, invite them to sign up for our issue alerts, or make a donation to support these efforts.
Thank you,
Daryl G. Kimball,
Executive Director
Contributions Up Again in 2018. Thank You!
Thanks to your generous support in 2018, the Arms Control Association begins the new year stronger than ever. With more people recognizing the importance of our efforts and seeing the value we place on providing informed, substantive content, individual contributions are up significantly.
Your gifts helped us surpass our end of the year goal of $50,000! Together, your support helped raise $69,000 during our year-end push in December.
Overall, individual contributions in 2018 rose over the previous year by 13 percent. The size our average gift and the number of members has grown as well, including individuals making a gift at the Contributing ($125+) and Leadership Circle ($500+) Member levels.
Each new member and donation empowers us to make a difference. Thank you for making a commitment to effective arms control in 2019 and beyond.
Annual Meeting Set for April 15, 2019
The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Arms Control Association will be held on April 15 at a new location: the Washington Court Hotel at 525 New Jersey Ave. NW in Washington, DC.
The all-day conference, “New Arms Control Approaches: North Korea, New Technologies, and Cold War 2.0,” will feature panel discussions and keynote speakers on the ongoing effort to rein-in Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, the challenges posed by new weapons technologies, strategies for preventing a new U.S.-Russian arms race, and reinforcing the global nuclear nonproliferation system.
The new location will be able to accommodate the growing audience for our largest gathering of the year. Special rates for overnight guests for the conference will be available. A post-meeting reception for members and guests will be held in the late afternoon.
Look for registration information and hotel rates for attendees online and, if you are an Arms Control Association member, in your mailbox, very soon!
2018 Arms Control Persons of the Year Announced
A group of 4,000 anonymous Google employees opposing the company's work on a Pentagon project using artificial intelligence (AI), which could be used to improve drone targeting, was voted as the Arms Control Persons of the Year for 2018.
Due to the employees’ actions, Google ended its work on Project Maven when the contract expired and announced it would focus on “socially beneficial” AI and avoid work that causes “overall harm.”
More than 1,200 individuals from over 70 countries voted in this year’s online contest. Nine individuals and groups were nominated by the staff and board of the Arms Control Association.
The Arms Control Association will continue to report on and engage in the international deliberations on lethal autonomous weapons in the age of AI, including encouraging multilateral negotiations on a legally-binding instrument to ensure meaningful human control over weapons of war and decisions to employ the lethal use of force.
Welcome Greg Webb, New Arms Control Today Editor
After a thorough search produced some very worthy candidates, we are pleased to announce that Greg Webb has joined us (again) as our editor-in-chief starting on Jan. 16.
Greg’s first job in Washington in 1989 was an assistant editor for Arms Control Today, and since then he has continued to work in the arms control and journalism field as a nongovernmental analyst, a journalist and public affairs specialist. He served as the editor for the Arms Control Reporter (where he worked with former Arms Control Association board member Randall Forsberg), as the deputy director for the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and later as the lead editor and a reporter for Global Security Newswire. He most recently worked as a public affairs and information officer at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Nearly 30 years ago, then-Arms Control Association president Spurgeon Keeny provided me my first employment in Washington, launching a career that has now circled back to Arms Control Today," noted Greg. "I'm excited to rejoin the Arms Control Association community, which continues to enjoy a strong cadre of talented and energetic people."
His depth and familiarity with the field, diverse network of contacts, strong journalism foundation, and his shared commitment to the mission of the organization and his commitment to maintaining the high-quality standards we strive for with Arms Control Today should serve us all very well in the years ahead.
On Our Calendar
| Jan. 26-31 | Board Chairman Tom Countryman travels to Valdai, Russia for a workshop on nuclear safeguards sponsored by the Nuclear Threat Initiative |
| Feb. 18-19 | Executive Director Daryl Kimball travels to Moscow for Track 1.5 Meeting on Addressing the Crisis in U.S. and Russian Nuclear Arms Control |
| March 8 | Spring Meeting of the Board of Directors, Washington, D.C. |
| March 11-12 | Arms Control Association staff participate in the 2019 Carnegie Nuclear Policy Conference |
| March 13 | The Arms Control Association hosts the next meeting of the Commission on Challenges to Deep Nuclear Cuts |
| April 15 | Arms Control Association Annual Meeting, Washington Court Hotel, Washington, D.C. |
In Case You Missed It...
- Executive Director Daryl Kimball was cited by The Independent about his concerns on Russian and Chinese responses on "Trump promises system to shoot down missiles ‘anywhere, anytime’ after Pentagon defence strategy review," Jan. 18
- Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Kingston Reif responds to "Trump’s Dangerous Missile Defense Buildup" in our latest Issue Brief, Jan. 17
- Kingston Reif commented on how "President Trump’s Plans to Boost Missile Defense Could Spark an Arms Race" in TIME Magazine, Jan. 17
- In a new Arms Control Now blog post, Research Assistant Alicia Sanders-Zakre urged "President Trump, Stop Using Tear Gas on Asylum Seekers," Jan. 16
- Senior non-resident fellow Jeff Abramson details "How Congress Can Exert Responsible Oversight on Trump’s Dangerous Approach to Arms Sales" in our latest Issue Brief, Jan. 15
- Director for Nonproliferation Policy Kelsey Davenport commented on how "Iranian scientists persevere under renewed sanctions," in Physics Today, Jan. 1
- Research Assistant Shervin Taheran is reporting "Select Reactions to the INF Treaty Crisis" following Trump's announcement of the U.S. intent to withdraw on the Arms Control Now blog, Dec. 14, 2018.
- Alicia Sanders-Zakre reported on the Fourth Review Conference of states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention on our blog and Instagram channel, Dec. 3, 2018.