Combating Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to the New Independent States of theFormer Soviet Union.Within the Department of State structure is the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to the NewIndependent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union. This position has been establishedin accordance with Section 102 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The mandate of theCoordinator is to “assure maximum coordination of efforts within the executive branch” topromote reform and policies in the NIS. The Coordinator presides over the allocation ofU.S. assistance resources, directs and coordinates the interagency process ondevelopment, funding and implementation of all bilateral assistance, trade, and investmentprograms related to the NIS. These programs include: trade and investment, business andeconomic development, training and exchange, criminal justice, energy andenvironmental, social sector and humanitarian, and security. The Coordinator is thechairman of the interagency NIS Assistance Coordination Group and is also a member ofthe Policy Steering Group for the NIS to ensure that U.S. assistance and related activitiesare consistent with and support broader foreign policy objectives. The Coordinator ismandated to work with U.S. Ambassadors to the NIS to strengthen coordinationmechanisms in the field and increase the effectiveness of our assistance and export andinvestment programs on the ground. The Coordinator reports to the Secretary of State.The Role of the Department of State in International Proliferation-relatedEffortsThe Department of State is the lead for the conduct of diplomacy and representation of theU.S. overseas, and the advocate of U.S. policies for foreign governments and internationalinstitutions. As such, State interacts extensively with foreign governments and multilateralorganizations on non-proliferation issues. These efforts include, but are not limited to,leading U.S. delegations in numerous multilateral bodies and negotiations, includinginternational proliferation-related treaty negotiations, export control regimes such as theAustralia Group and the Nuclear Supplier Group, and in many G-8 and NATO proliferationrelateddiscussions.The Department holds regular bilateral proliferation-related talks, in Washington and incapitals, with the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia and the European Union, during whichthe full range of proliferation-related concerns are discussed and joint courses of action areidentified. State often writes instructions to U.S embassies to deliver messages to hostgovernments that may address such issues as halting an export to a country of concern,or seeking coordination of public reaction to the South Asian nuclear tests. In the UnitedNations Security Council, State coordinates efforts to consult both in New York and incapitals on issues of proliferation concern.28