The Bureau of Arms Control is responsible for international agreements on conventional, chemical/biological, and strategic forces, treaty verification and compliance, and supporting ongoing negotiations, policy-making, and interagency implementation efforts.

The Bureau of Arms Control leads efforts to negotiate new arms control agreements, primarily START III and other future strategic arms control agreements, and leads negotiating efforts in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) such as a cutoff of fissile material production and antipersonnel landmines. This Bureau also has the equally important task of implementing a large number of existing agreements, including ABM, INF, START I, CWC, and BWC, and of preparing to implement START II and CTBT. The Bureau has the U.S. lead for negotiations and policy development related to Confidence and Security-Building Measures (CSBMs), Open Skies, Dayton Article V negotiations, verification and information for European arms control, has responsibilities with respect to CFE Treaty issues, and participates fully in the Task Force on CFE under the Under Secretary. 

The Verification and Compliance staff contributes primarily to ongoing negotiations, technology policy coordination, policy analysis, information management, arms control efforts relative to critical infrastructure protection, and interagency implementation efforts. 

The Bureau of Arms Control has the lead for all negotiations on these issues and related policy development and backstopping. But, because of the sensitive stage of current negotiations on CFE and directly related CSBMs, these negotiations will temporarily continue to be handled under existing arrangements with the regional bureaus, under the direction of the Under Secretary, along with a Special Representative and Task Force under the Under Secretary's leadership, established for policy direction and coordination with all relevant bureaus and offices. This arrangement will be reviewed in 1999 with a view to consolidating the lead in the Arms Control Bureau at the earliest practicable date. 

Public Affairs Officer
Bureau of Arms Control
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520