ABOUT US: SECTIONS
Arms Control (AC)
The Arms Control Section (AC) is responsible for relations between the United States Government and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization and the Wassenaar Arrangement. The Section also cooperates with the IAEA Section on nuclear terrorism and promotes cooperation between the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and the IAEA.
Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism
The Global Initiative To Combat Nuclear Terrorism now includes over seventy countries, all of whom have agreed to work together to counter the threat of nuclear terrorism. This is done primarily through a Program of Work which includes workshops, seminars, and other events designed to promote best practices in this area. AC's primary responsibility is to promote cooperation between the Global Initiative and the IAEA, which is officially an observer in the Global Initiative.
The International Monitoring System
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) established an International Monitoring System (IMS) comprising a global network of 321 seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound, and radionuclide stations designed to detect a clandestine nuclear explosion. The United States supports the IMS. Thirty-seven IMS stations are located in the U.S., and an additional 15 located outside the U.S. are operated by the U.S. under bilateral agreements. AC works with the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS), headquartered in Vienna, Austria, which was created to direct and oversee the buildup of the IMS
The Wassenaar Arrangement
The basic objective of the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) is to promote international and regional peace and security by promoting transparency, and responsibility and, when appropriate, restraint in transfers of conventional arms and dual use good and technologies. In order to ensure that transfers of controlled goods are carried out responsibly, Participating States meet regularly and exchange information that will enhance transparency and lead to informed discussions on sensitive transfers.
