April 2025
For decades, U.S. global leadership – at the governmental and nongovernmental level – has been a driving force behind the effort to develop and implement a global system designed to control the dangers posed by nuclear weapons.
Much of the U.S. government’s work on arms control has relied on a relatively small but key cadre of experts and practitioners at the State Department, parts of the Pentagon, the Department of Energy, parts of the intelligence community, and other key agencies. For example, President John F. Kennedy established the semi-independent Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, without which, I would argue we would not have achieved the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 or the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1968.
Since the end of the Cold War however, the government’s investment in that expertise has been whittled away. At the same time, many private philanthropic institutions that were vital to standing up non-governmental expertise and public education campaigns to reduce the nuclear threat in the 1980s and 1990s have diminished their support or left the field altogether.
In 1997, congressional Republicans forced the White House to downsize ACDA and fold it into the State Department; in 2005, the Bush administration merged two key bureaus responsible for addressing WMD arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament matters. As former ACDA director John Holum wrote in 2013 in Arms Control Today, the problems these moves created were not adequately addressed by the Obama administration.
Now, the Trump administration is applying a meat ax to budgets and staff rosters across all federal agencies and pulling federal grants to outside researchers and institutions. These actions are already producing severe effects in our field and many others.
This week, as part of a radical restructuring of the U.S. Department of State, the Trump administration has proposed a further downsizing of the capacity of the government to deal with the world’s most dangerous weapons. The plan would combine the International Security and Nonproliferation bureau (ISN) into the Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability Bureau (ADS) - formerly known as Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance (AVC) - into a single bureau. It would become one of five bureaus under the Office of the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security.
This proposal, which follows earlier staffing layoffs ordered by Elon Musk’s task force at the Department of Energy and elsewhere, will diminish the ability of the government to deal with the widening range of nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament matters of the 21st century.
In the wake of these developments, the role of civil society and finding new ways and new sources of support to maintain critical expertise and capacity outside of government on nuclear matters - in academia, nonprofit organizations, and the for-profit, private sector - is all the more important.
That’s why we were extremely delighted to hear about the announcement from the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) (one of ACA’s funders and now the largest private philanthropy in the nuclear weapons policy field) about its initiative to launch a new consortium.
On April 22, CCNY President Louise Richardson announced the launch of a funders consortium that will seek to distribute some $10.2 million in additional grants over the next two years, with plans to raise more funds going forward.
The announcement is meant to make clear "that nuclear threats are still here. They're still with us, and they're being complicated by things like emerging technologies," James McKeon, a program officer in the CCNY international peace and security program, told Axios.
Through the years, ACA has relied almost entirely on support from private foundations and concerned people like you in order to maintain our independent, nonpartisan role. We do not accept funding from the U.S. government.
So, with your support and engagement, you can count on ACA to be here to chart the course forward and work tirelessly to tackle nuclear weapons-related threats that lie ahead.
Onward,
Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director
Announcing New and Returning Members of the ACA Board of Directors
The ballots from our ACA members are back and the following Board members have been re-elected: Deborah C. Gordon; Victoria Holt; Angela Kane (for one year); Maryann Cusimano Love; Jayita Sarkar; and Christine Wing.
We are also excited to announce that the membership also approved the nomination of Stephen Warnke, who is a recently retired senior lawyer based in New York, and the son of the revered arms control guru, and former ACA Board Member, Paul Warnke.
In addition, the membership also elected Amb. Bonnie Jenkins, to the Board of Directors. Bonnie was a member of the ACA Board before she served as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security from 2021-2024. She is now on faculty at George Washington University.
ACA Expert Briefing Explores Prospects for U.S.-Russian Arms Control
The recording of our April 15 virtual briefing, “Can Trump and Putin Agree on Nuclear Limits After New START?” is now online.
Although President Trump has made encouraging statements expressing interest in talks with Russia and China on “denuclearization,” the administration has not yet articulated a plan or strategy for doing so, and has not named a team to develop such a strategy.
Meanwhile, ACA is actively working with congressional allies to build support for negotiations with Russia on nuclear arms control. We have successfully encouraged the introduction of a joint resolution (H. Res. 100/S. Res. 61) and a Feb. 19 congressional letter to Secretary Rubio, both of which urge U.S. action to engage Russia and China on nuclear restraint measures.
We were also pleased to see another resolution (H. Res. 317) introduced in the House this month by Reps. McGovern (D-Mass.) and Tokuda (D-Hawaii) that outlines a comprehensive nuclear risk reduction and disarmament approach that deserves broad support.
Be a Part of ACA’s New Legacy Society
For more than 50 years, ACA has provided authoritative information, news, and analysis on arms control solutions to eliminate the threats posed by the world’s most dangerous weapons.
ACA’s role as a civil society leader in the field remains vital: providing reliable, fact-based information, advocacy for pragmatic policy solutions to reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons threats, combined with public education and outreach with partner organizations to mobilize citizen engagement and hold policymakers accountable.
Nuclear weapons are a long-term challenge that requires long-term investments in nuclear threat reduction efforts.
You can help the ACA serve future generations by joining our Legacy Society and including the ACA in your estate planning.
As a Legacy Society member, you can make a significant impact through a future gift that does not cost you anything during your lifetime.
We hope you will consider including the ACA in your estate plan because the effort to reduce and eliminate dangers posed by nuclear weapons will require persistent and effective work for years and years to come.
You can find more about the Legacy Society here.
ACA at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty PrepCom in New York
ACA will send a small team to the third preparatory committee meeting for the 2026 NPT Review Conference the week of April 28 in New York. Research Assistant Shizuka Kuramitsu will be delivering an ACA-organized joint NGO statement on Article VI disarmament issues on April 30. The statement outlines a focused strategy for reviving disarmament diplomacy and has the support of more than 50 civil society leaders, experts, and former officials.
You can find more information about the meeting and additional ACA resources including our interview with the three most recent chairs of the NPT preparatory meetings, here.
Welcome Ryan Rowe: Our New Website and Communications Manager
This month, we welcomed Ryan Rowe who has studied International Relations and Computer Science at Wellesley College with a focus on leveraging digital platforms to expand public understanding of nuclear weapons issues.
Ryan has developed media content and web resources for a variety of organizations, including the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the North Korea Nuclear Update project of the MIT Security Studies Program. As a part-time consultant for ACA, she is looking forward to further exploring the digital-social landscape and its impact on the way we think, learn, and talk about nuclear arms control.
ACA’s New Office Location
Beginning this week, the Arms Control Association office is located in a new office building centrally located in downtown Washington, D.C. at:
1100 H Street NW, Suite 520, Washington, D.C. 20005
Our email addresses and phone numbers remain the same. Please stay in touch and stay engaged!
ACA In the News
“U.S. nuclear force costs projected to soar to $946 billion through 2034, CBO says,” Reuters, April 24, 2025. "The costs of the existing nuclear modernization program are skyrocketing beyond all expectations,” ACA’s Daryl Kimball said.
“What do ‘expert level’ talks signal for the progress of the Iran-US nuclear negotiations?,” via the Associated Press, April 22, 2025, cites ACA director for nonproliferation policy, Kelsey Davenport.
“The Chemical Weapons Convention Turns 28: A Test of – and Testament to – Multilateralism,” The Better World Fund interviews ACA’s Daryl Kimball, April 14, 2025
“Would military strikes kill Iran's nuclear programme? Probably not.” Kelsey Davenport explains to Reuters why the military option is not a viable option to stop Iran from acquiring the bomb. Reuters, April 15.
“Diplomatic opening on Iran nuclear issue,” in Le Monde, April 14, quotes ACA’s Davenport.
“Is Iran on a collision course with the west?” in The Financial Times, March 22. ACA’s Davenport cautions: “There’s space for diplomacy. But both sides have to have the political will and the urgency to meet the moment. Absent that, the escalatory kind of tit-for-tat will spiral out of control this year.”
In Case You Missed It
"Trump’s Misguided 'Golden Dome' Gambit," Arms Control Association Issue Brief by Senior Analyst, Xiaodon Liang, March 25, 2025.
"The Art of a New Iranian Nuclear Deal in 2025," Arms Control Association Issue Brief by Director for Nonproliferation Policy, Kelsey Davenport, March 19, 2025.