Press Room

In anticipation of a major nuclear weapons policy review expected to be completed March 1, former government officials, nuclear weapons experts, and leaders of arms control organizations representing more than 1 million Americans have sent a letter (PDF) to President Obama, urging him to fulfill his April 2009 pledge to "put an end to Cold War thinking" and "reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy."

We will spend what is necessary to maintain the safety, security and effectiveness of our weapons.

This op-ed by ACA Senior Fellow Greg Thielmann appeared in the Des Moines Register on January 22, 2010.

To achieve its potential, the upcoming nuclear security summit in Washington must "break new ground" on nuclear security rules that are "outdated and desperately need to be supplemented with new initiatives," according to a new article by former senior Energy Department official Kenneth Luongo in the January/February issue of Arms Control Today, the journal of the Arms Control Association.

Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) garnered the highest number of votes in an online poll to determine the "2009 Arms Control Person of the Year." Nine other individuals, institutions, and country groups were nominated by the staff of the Arms Control Association.

Experts from the independent Arms Control Association (ACA) released a status update on the U.S. government's plans to modernize its strategic nuclear arsenal, finding that the U.S. military is in the process of upgrading most of its strategic delivery systems and the warheads they carry to last for the next 20-30 years or more.

As 2009 nears its end, it is time to recognize some of the most important arms control developments and achievements of the past 12 months. Vote for 2009 Arms Control Person(s) of the year.

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Proliferation Analysis

ACA experts welcome administration decision for thorough review of U.S. landmine policy. Urge the administration to conduct their policy review in a thorough and expeditious manner and in consultation with nongovernmental humanitarian and arms control experts.

A congressionally-commissioned scientific study by an influential group of independent scientists released today concludes that the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear arsenal can be maintained indefinitely through the existing program for stockpile stewardship and without nuclear test explosions or pursuit of new warhead designs.

Nov.16 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran established a clear standard of transparency regarding Iran's nuclear activities, said arms control experts at the Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA).

Arms Control Today, the monthly journal of the independent Arms Control Association (ACA), published its in-depth October 21 interview with Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen O. Tauscher. In the wide-ranging interview, Tauscher elaborates on key issues on the international nuclear security agenda including U.S.-Russian talks on a new strategic arms reduction treaty (START), the administration's plans for the reconsideration of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the administration's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), as well as the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in April and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May.

Arms control experts welcomed yesterday's statement by the United States supporting a legally binding treaty to regulate the trade of conventional weapons. The United States was the only country to vote against two previous UN resolutions related to the treaty, but yesterday the Obama administration expressed support for a UN process that could lead to negotiation of such a treaty in 2012.(Continue)

Experts from the Washington-based Arms Control Association (ACA) congratulated President Barack Obama for being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, highlighting that the Nobel Committee's announcement "attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."(Continue)

Experts from the Arms Control Association (ACA) supports the call by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany for immediate inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of Iran's recently disclosed uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom. ACA experts also endorse the intention of these governments to seek from Iran "concrete steps to create confidence and transparency in its nuclear program" when Iran meets with the UN Security Council permanent members and Germany (the P5+1) on October 1. (Continue)

Experts from the independent Arms Control Association (ACA) characterized today's unanimous adoption of a UN Security Council resolution on nonproliferation and disarmament as "an important step toward rebuilding international consensus around a balanced action plan to reduce and eliminate the nuclear weapons threat." (Continue)

The history of the nuclear age makes clear that opportunities to reduce the grave dangers posed by nuclear weapons are often fleeting. When the right political conditions are in place, government leaders must seize the chance to make progress. (Continue)

A diverse set of nongovernmental nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament leaders, as well as former government officials and diplomats are urging key governments to ratify the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and bring it into force. (Continue)

Experts from the independent Arms Control Association (ACA) welcomed reports that the Barack Obama administration has decided to shelve the controversial George W. Bush administration proposal to install an untested, ground-based missile interceptor system in Poland and the Czech Republic to counter an as-yet undeveloped Iranian long-range missile threat. The Obama administration has signaled it will instead pursue alternative basing modes and concentrate on better-proven missile interceptor technologies. (Continue)