Combating Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

• work with the Director of OMB and the relevant agencies to construct a coordinatedagency proliferation budget and oversee proliferation-related transfers andreprogrammings; 8• consult with Congress to explain the overall plan and how individual programs andactivities fit into that plan, and work toward a more cooperative relationship; and• ensure that the requisite legal authorities are in place to act against the threat.The National Director would be a member of the NSC Deputies Committee and, at therequest of the National Security Advisor, would chair Deputies Committee meetingsdealing with proliferation issues. The National Director should be invited to attendPrincipals Committee meetings as appropriate, and should be included in meetings of theNSC country or regional interagency working groups to ensure that proliferation policy bothreflects and is reflected in country and regional strategies. While the National Directorwould manage the policy process within the NSC to the Deputies level and seek to resolveinteragency disputes, agency heads would retain the right to appeal to the Principals and,if necessary, to the Vice President and President.The duties of theNational Directorshould be spelledout in a PresidentialDecision Directive(PDD). 9 If thisposition is createdby statute ratherthan by PDD, theCommissionrecommends thatthe position expireafter five yearsunless Congressreauthorizes it.2C (27p x 15p)Additional staff that the National Director needs to carry out these duties should beincluded within the NSC, either as direct hires or as detailees from participating agencies.The chart above illustrates one option for organizing such a staff.8See Chapter 3 for additional recommendations on agency reprogramming authority.9This PDD should also clarify the relationship between the National Director and those whocurrently perform coordinating functions for particular aspects of the proliferation issue, such as theNational Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-Terrorism, and the UnderSecretary of State for International Security and Arms Control.15