Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC)

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Date: 2009-04-27 00:00:00.0 Description: Rose Gottemoeller © State Dept Photo

The Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance, (AVC) is headed by Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller. The Bureau’s core missions within the U.S. Department of State concern arms control, verification and compliance with international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements or commitments. The Bureau advances national and international security through the negotiation and implementation of effectively verifiable and diligently enforced arms control and disarmament agreements involving weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery as well as certain conventional weapons. The Bureau also leads U.S. efforts to: develop arms control policies for the implementation of existing agreements and negotiation of future agreements, advance missile defense and space policy in support of U.S. national security policies and objectives, and promote and implement bilateral and multilateral arms control, transparency and confidence-building measures.

Among the Bureau's core responsibilities are those ensuring that appropriate verification requirements and capabilities are fully considered and properly integrated throughout the development, negotiation, and implementation of arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements and commitments; that other countries’ compliance is carefully monitored, assessed, reported, and pursued; and that treaties and agreements are fully implemented. The Bureau also works with foreign governments and international organizations to acquire data and information for compliance assessments and to encourage Parties' compliance with their commitments.

As required by federal statute, the Bureau is responsible for ensuring that U.S. intelligence capabilities to collect, analyze, and disseminate precise and timely information bearing upon matters of verification and compliance – e.g., on the nature and status of foreign governments’ Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and delivery system programs – are effectively acquired, maintained, and enhanced. AVC is the principal policy community representative to the Intelligence Community with regard to verification and compliance matters and ensures that verification requirements are met.

The Bureau leads the Department in all matters related to the implementation of certain international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements and commitments. This includes staffing and managing treaty implementation commissions. The Bureau also provides, through its Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, information technology support and secure, near-real-time government-to-government communications linkages with foreign government treaty partners.




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