Press Room

A new report released today by the Arms Control Association (ACA) and Partnership for Global Security (PGS), finds that the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process has catalyzed action to secure nuclear weapons-usable materials, but the largely nationally-focused efforts to date are inadequate, and leading governments must begin building the framework for a cohesive international nuclear security governance system.

President Barack Obama's proposals today in Berlin for cutting the oversized U.S. nuclear arsenal and reducing global nuclear weapons dangers are welcome and overdue.

In the modern age, U.S. presidents have delivered dozens of addresses on international peace and security, but few have been as profound or consequential as John F. Kennedy's "Strategy of Peace" address delivered 50 years ago on June 10 on the campus of American University in Washington.

On Monday, June 3, representatives from dozens of states will gather at the United Nations to sign the new Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The ATT will for the first time establish common international standards that must be met before states authorize transfers of conventional weapons or export ammunition and weapons parts and components.

Today, the independent, Arm Control Association welcomed the United Nations General Assembly's endorsement of the new Arms Trade Treaty, which will for the first time establish common international standards that must be met before states authorize transfers of conventional weapons or export ammunition and weapons parts and components. The treaty will be open for signature beginning in June.

Today, the independent, Arm Control Association welcomed the new, compromise Arms Trade Treaty text that has emerged from two intense weeks of final negotiations and years of multilateral talks among the 193 members states of the United Nations.

(United Nations, NY)--Today, arms control analysts welcomed the new, compromise Arms Trade Treaty text that has emerged from intense negotiations and that states may endorse on the final day of the March 18-28 UN diplomatic conference.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—Nongovernmental leaders pressed President Barack Obama today to provide the support necessary to conclude an effective Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which is up for renegotiation at the UN this spring (March 18-28). The ATT will regulate the cross border trade of conventional weapons by closing the loopholes in the current international system.

(Washington, D.C.) As the United States and other international leaders continue to pursue a range of strategies to head-off the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran, the non-partisan Arms Control Association has produced a comprehensive, entry-level guide to Iran's nuclear program and its capabilities, and the risks, benefits, and limitations of the available policy options.

(Washington, D.C.) General James Cartwright garnered the highest number of votes in an online poll to determine the "2012 Arms Control Person of the Year." Nine other individuals and institutions were nominated by the staff of the Arms Control Association for their achievements and contributions.

Since 1971, the Arms Control Association has promoted practical solutions to address the dangers posed by the world's most dangerous weapons-nuclear, biological, and chemical, as well as certain types of conventional arms.

The following piece was originally published at Foreign Policy on December 12, 2012

President Obama's policy of "strategic patience" has failed to seize fleeting diplomatic opportunities and has, unsurprisingly, not worked. It's time to make a mid-course adjustment by resuming earlier efforts to negotiate curbs on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and imposing further sanctions to affect Pyongyang's bargaining calculus.

(Washington, D.C.) The Arms Control Association, in association with the UK Government and the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation, organized a day-long conference on February 17, 2012 in Vienna, Austria, to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). This conference report details the value of the CTBT and explores pathways to its entry into force.

Fifty years after the Cuban missile crisis almost led to nuclear war, nuclear weapons still pose enormous risks to U.S. and global security. Today, there still are nearly 20,000 nuclear weapons, and there are nine nuclear-armed states. More countries have access to the technologies needed to produce nuclear bomb material, and the threat of nuclear terrorism is real.

(United Nations, New York) Nearly a year after the start of a UN process to negotiate a new global arms trade treaty, 192 states came close to agreement on a treaty to require better regulation of the global nuclear arms trade and to set common-sense standards for arms transfers.

(United Nations, New York) Nearly a year after the UN launched a process to negotiate a new global arms trade treaty, states are coalescing around a final treaty text.

(Washington and New York) Major U.S. humanitarian and arms control organizations, including Amnesty International USA, Oxfam America, Arms Control Association, and United to Prevent Genocide, are pressing President Barack Obama to work with other countries close the remaining loopholes in text of the Arms Trade Treaty now under negotiation.

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the first consolidated draft text of a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) emerged from arduous negotiations at the United Nations. Governments have just three days to narrow any remaining differences before the conference concludes on July 27.

The following piece was originally published in The Christian Science Monitor on July 9, 2012

Each year, hundreds of thousands of civilians around the globe are slaughtered by conventional weapons that are sold, transferred by governments, or diverted to unscrupulous regimes, criminals, illegal militias, and terrorist groups. The enormous human toll from the unregulated trade of conventional arms undermines international security and impedes economic and social development.

Given the infrequency of serious, direct talks with Tehran on its disputed nuclear program, the failure to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough in Moscow this week is disappointing but not surprising. At the same time, there was no breakdown and there will be follow-on technical talks in Istanbul on July 3.