Combating Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

• the confidence that others in the White House appear to have in theirabilities;• the degree to which they are perceived as “expert” or “activist,” or both;• their skill in bureaucratic maneuver and negotiations; and• their personal qualities, particularly in trust and discretion.Although the National Security Advisor does project to the departments and agencies asense of the extent to which White House direction may be imposed, the performance ofindividual NSC staff members often determines how successful the White House will be.This is particularly true for cross-cutting issues such as proliferation because theyinvariably involve a range of actors in both the White House and the departments andagencies.Senior Director for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls. The Senior Director forNon-Proliferation and Export Controls heads a staff of three professionals and two supportpersonnel.• The current Senior Director, a career State Department official, serves on anon-reimbursable detail. Primarily because of his extensive background inregional proliferation-related matters, he personally manages Middle East,South Asia, and Northeast Asia issues, as well as supervising his staff ofthree directors.• One director, an agency detailee, oversees Russia and the NewIndependent States, proliferation-related aspects of the Cooperative ThreatReduction program, and security of fissile materials, technologies, andexpertise.• A second director, the only NSC employee of the four professionals,oversees chemical and biological weapons and missile issues, including theChemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons and ToxinConvention, the Missile Technology Control Regime, and the AustraliaGroup.• The third director, a career employee detailed from the Department ofCommerce, follows conventional arms proliferation and export controls,including the nuclear regimes (the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, theNuclear Suppliers Group, the Fissile Material Control Treaty, theComprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the Nuclear Weapons Free Zonetreaties).4