For Immediate Release: March 6, 2014
Media Contacts: Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director, Arms Control Association (202-463-8270, ext. 107)
(Washington, D.C.)--Today the independent, non-partisan Arms Control Association (ACA) applauded the Senate's long-awaited confirmation of Rose Gottemoeller as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and called on the Obama administration and Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to work together to address the wide-range of challenging weapons-related security issues facing the nation.
"Rose Gottemoeller is an extremely well-qualified and experienced leader for the State Department's ongoing efforts to reduce the threats posed by nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons," said ACA's executive director, Daryl G. Kimball.
"In recent years, the United States has made great strides forward to further reduce excess U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals, build support for a wide-ranging action plan to advance the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), reinforce the global moratorium on nuclear testing, secure nuclear materials stockpiles, set global standards for conventional arms transfers, and put into motion a plan to remove chemical weapons from Syria. Rose Gottemoeller and her team have been key to progress in each area," Kimball said.
"But there is much more to be done to reduce weapons-related security threats facing the United States and the international community. In particular, the United States needs to explore new and pragmatic approaches to avoid renewed nuclear competition between Washington and Moscow, to further reduce excess Russian strategic and nuclear stockpiles, hold Russia to its commitments to the NPT and INF treaties, and maintain progress on cooperative programs to guard against the threat of nuclear terrorism. We urge the Congress to support Undersecretary Gottemoeller's efforts on these and other issues," Kimball said.
"We look forward to working with the Undersecretary to address other important arms control challenges, which include ensuring the implementation of commitments made by states at the 2010 NPT Review Conference, bringing other nuclear-armed and non-nuclear states into the nuclear disarmament process, and engaging the Senate in a serious conversation about the national security value of the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban," he added.
"To effectively address these serious weapons-related challenges, members of Congress and the administration need to work together on pragmatic solutions," Kimball urged.
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The Arms Control Association is an independent, membership-based organization dedicated to providing authoritative information and practical policy solutions to address the threats posed by the world's most dangerous weapons.