US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

22 U.S.C. § 2551

Congressional statement of purpose

An ultimate goal of the United States is a world which is free from the scourge of war and the dangers and burdens of armaments; in which the use of force has been subordinated to the rule of law; and in which international adjustments to a changing world are achieved peacefully. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide impetus toward this goal by addressing the problem of reduction and control of armaments looking toward ultimate world disarmament.

The Secretary of State must have the capacity to provide the essential scientific, economic, political, military, psychological, and technological information upon which realistic arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy must be based. The Secretary shall have the authority, under the direction of the President, to carry out the following primary functions:

(1) The preparation for and management of United States participation in international negotiations and implementation fora in the arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament field.

(2) The conduct, support, and coordination of research for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy formulation.

(3) The preparation for, operation of, or direction of, United States participation in such control systems as may become part of United States arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament activities.

(4) The dissemination and coordination of public information concerning arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament.

Pub. L. 87–297, title I, § 10275 Stat. 631Pub. L. 94–141, title I, § 14489 Stat. 758Pub. L. 103–236, title VII108 Stat. 491Pub. L. 105–277, div. G112 Stat. 2681–768(, formerly § 2, , ; , , ; , §§ 703, 719(a), , , 501; renumbered § 102 and amended , subdiv. A, title XII, § 1223(1), (21), , , 2681–772.)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 105–277, § 1223(1)(A)1998—, in first undesignated par., substituted “addressing” for “creating a new agency of peace to deal with”.

Pub. L. 105–277, § 1223(1)(B), struck out second undesignated par. which read as follows: “Arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy, being an important aspect of foreign policy, must be consistent with national security policy as a whole. The formulation and implementation of United States arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy in a manner which will promote the national security can best be insured by a central organization charged by statute with primary responsibility for this field. This organization must have such a position within the Government that it can provide the President, the Secretary of State, other officials of the executive branch, and the Congress with recommendations concerning United States arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament policy, and can assess the effect of these recommendations upon our foreign policies, our national security policies, and our economy.”

Pub. L. 105–277, § 1223(1)(C), in last undesignated par., in introductory provisions, substituted “The Secretary of State” for “This organization”, substituted “The Secretary shall have” for “It shall have”, and struck out “and the Secretary of State” after “the President”, in subpar. (1) inserted “, nonproliferation,” after “arms control”, redesignated subpar. (3) as (2) and struck out former subpar. (2) which read as follows: “When directed by the President, the preparation for, and management of, United States participation in international negotiations and implementation fora in the nonproliferation field.”, redesignated subpar. (4) as (3) and struck out “, as appropriate,” before “direction of”, and redesignated subpar. (5) as (4).

Pub. L. 103–236, § 719(a)1994—, inserted “, nonproliferation,” after “Arms control” in second undesignated par. and after “arms control” wherever appearing in second and third undesignated pars.

Pub. L. 103–236, § 703, substituted subpars. (1) to (5) for former subpars. (a) to (d) which read as follows:

“(a) The conduct, support, and coordination of research for arms control and disarmament policy formulation;

“(b) The preparation for and management of United States participation in international negotiations in the arms control and disarmament field;

“(c) The dissemination and coordination of public information concerning arms control and disarmament; and

“(d) The preparation for, operation of, or as appropriate, direction of United States participation in such control systems as may become part of United States arms control and disarmament activities.”

Pub. L. 94–1411975— substituted “It shall have the authority, under the direction of the President and the Secretary of State,” for “It must be able”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–277section 1201 of Pub. L. 105–277section 6511 of this titleAmendment by effective , see , set out as an Effective Date note under .

Short Title of 2017 Amendment

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title XII, § 1241131 Stat. 1671

Pub. L. 115–91section 2593a of this title“This subtitle [subtitle E (§§ 1241–1246) of title XII of div. A of , enacting provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty Preservation Act of 2017’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1999 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(7) [div. B, title XI, § 1101]113 Stat. 1536

section 1526 of Title 50section 7704 of Title 42section 2155 of Title 42“This title [enacting sections 2652c and 2797b–2 of this title and , War and National Defense, amending sections 2577, 2593a, 2797b, 2797b–1, 2797c, and 3282 of this title, enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 2593a, 2652c, 3282, 5601, 5853, and 6723 of this title and , The Public Health and Welfare, and amending provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Nonproliferation Act of 1999’.”
, , , 1501A–485, provided that:

Short Title of 1994 Amendment

Pub. L. 103–236, title VII, § 701(a)108 Stat. 491

Pub. L. 103–236section 5315 of Title 5section 2139a of Title 42“This part [part A (§§ 701–719) of title VII of , enacting sections 2578 and 2593a to 2593d of this title, amending this section, sections 2562, 2565 to 2568, 2571, 2573 to 2577, 2579, 2581, 2585, 2591, 2593, 2791, 2797, and 2797b of this title, , Government Organization and Employees, and , The Public Health and Welfare, repealing sections 2578, 2589, 2590, and 2592 of this title, enacting provisions set out as notes under this section, and repealing provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Nonproliferation Act of 1994’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1989 Amendment

Pub. L. 101–216, § 1103 Stat. 1853

“This Act [enacting sections 2577a and 2595 to 2595c of this title, amending sections 2563, 2567, 2588, and 2589 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as notes under sections 2565 and 2567 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Disarmament Amendments Act of 1989’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1987 Amendment

Pub. L. 100–213, § 1101 Stat. 1444

section 2578 of this title“This Act [enacting sections 2578, 2579, and 2593 of this title, amending sections 2589 and 2592 of this title, and enacting provisions set out as a note under ] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Disarmament Amendments Act of 1987’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title of 1982 Amendment

Pub. L. 97–339, § 196 Stat. 1635

“That this Act [amending sections 2571, 2585, and 2589 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Disarmament Amendments Act of 1982’.”
, , , provided:

Short Title of 1977 Amendment

Pub. L. 95–108, § 191 Stat. 871

section 5315 of Title 5“This Act [enacting sections 2567 and 2577 of this title and amending sections 2571, 2581, and 2589 of this title and , Government Organization and Employees] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Disarmament Act Amendments of 1977’.”
, , , provided that:

Short Title

Pub. L. 87–297, title I, § 10175 Stat. 631Pub. L. 105–277, div. G112 Stat. 2681–772

“This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Arms Control and Disarmament Act’.”
, formerly § 1, , , as renumbered § 101 by , subdiv. A, title XII, § 1223(21), , , provided that:

International Arms Sales Code of Conduct

Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, § 1000(a)(7) [div. B, title XII, subtitle F]113 Stat. 1536

“SEC. 1261.

SHORT TITLE.

“This subtitle may be cited as the ‘International Arms Sales Code of Conduct Act of 1999’.

“SEC. 1262.

INTERNATIONAL ARMS SALES CODE OF CONDUCT.

“(a)

Negotiations .—

The President shall attempt to achieve the foreign policy goal of an international arms sales code of conduct. The President shall take the necessary steps to begin negotiations within appropriate international fora not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act []. The purpose of these negotiations shall be to establish an international regime to promote global transparency with respect to arms transfers, including participation by countries in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and to limit, restrict, or prohibit arms transfers to countries that do not observe certain fundamental values of human liberty, peace, and international stability.
“(b)

Criteria .—

The President shall consider the following criteria in the negotiations referred to in subsection (a):
“(1)

Promotes democracy .—

The government of the country—
“(A)
was chosen by and permits free and fair elections;
“(B)
promotes civilian control of the military and security forces and has civilian institutions controlling the policy, operation, and spending of all law enforcement and security institutions, as well as the armed forces;
“(C)
promotes the rule of law and provides its nationals the same rights that they would be afforded under the United States Constitution if they were United States citizens; and
“(D)
promotes the strengthening of political, legislative, and civil institutions of democracy, as well as autonomous institutions to monitor the conduct of public officials and to combat corruption.
“(2)

Respects human rights .—

The government of the country—
“(A)
does not persistently engage in gross violations of internationally recognized human rights, including—
“(i)
extrajudicial or arbitrary executions;
“(ii)
disappearances;
“(iii)
torture or severe mistreatment;
“(iv)
prolonged arbitrary imprisonment;
“(v)
systematic official discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, or political affiliation; and
“(vi)
grave breaches of international laws of war or equivalent violations of the laws of war in internal armed conflicts;
“(B)
vigorously investigates, disciplines, and prosecutes those responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights;
“(C)
permits access on a regular basis to political prisoners by international humanitarian organizations;
“(D)
promotes the independence of the judiciary and other official bodies that oversee the protection of human rights;
“(E)
does not impede the free functioning of domestic and international human rights organizations; and
“(F)
provides access on a regular basis to humanitarian organizations in situations of conflict or famine.
“(3)

Not engaged in certain acts of armed aggression .—

The government of the country is not engaged in acts of armed aggression in violation of international law.
“(4)

Not supporting terrorism .—

The government of the country does not provide support for international terrorism.
“(5)

Not contributing to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction .—

The government of the country does not contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
“(6)

Regional location of country .—

The country is not located in a region in which arms transfers would exacerbate regional arms races or international tensions that present a danger to international peace and stability.
“(c)

Reports to Congress.—

“(1)

Report relating to negotiations .—

Not later than 6 months after the commencement of the negotiations under subsection (a), and not later than the end of every 6-month period thereafter until an agreement described in subsection (a) is concluded, the President shall report to the Committee on International Relations [now Committee on Foreign Affairs] of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate on the progress made during these negotiations.
“(2)

Human rights reports .—

22 U.S.C. 2151n(b)In the report required in sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( and 2304(b)), the Secretary of State shall describe the extent to which the practices of each country evaluated meet the criteria in paragraphs (1)(A) and (2) of subsection (a).”
, , , 1501A–508, provided that:

Congressional Declarations; Purposes of 1994 Amendment

Pub. L. 103–236, title VII, § 702108 Stat. 491Pub. L. 103–236, , , stated congressional declarations and purposes of amendments by part A of title VII of (see Short Title of 1994 Amendment note above) to strengthen United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and to improve congressional oversight of arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament activities of United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and of Agency’s operating budget.

Report on Revitalization of ACDA

Pub. L. 103–236, title VII, § 717(b)108 Stat. 500, , , provided that not later than , Director of United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency was to submit to Congress a detailed report describing actions undertaken to revitalize United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Soviet Weapons Destruction

Pub. L. 102–228, title II105 Stat. 1693Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title XIV, § 1421(a)(2)106 Stat. 2565Pub. L. 103–236, title I, § 139(17)108 Stat. 398Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XII, § 1204110 Stat. 470Pub. L. 110–53, title XVIII, § 1811(1)121 Stat. 492Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title XIII, § 1304(a)(1)122 Stat. 412Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XIII, § 1351(1)128 Stat. 3606

“part a—

short title

“SEC. 201.

SHORT TITLE.

“This title may be cited as the ‘Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 1991’.”

, , , as amended by , (3), , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , , provided that:

“part b—findings and program authority

Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title XIII, § 1304(a)(1)(A)122 Stat. 412“[SEC. 211. Repealed. , , .]

Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XIII, § 1351(1)128 Stat. 3606“[SEC. 212. Repealed. , , .]

“part c—administrative and funding authorities

Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XIII, § 1351(1)128 Stat. 3606“[SECS. 221, 222. Repealed. , , .]

“SEC. 223. DIRE EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS.

Pub. L. 102–229“It is the sense of the Senate that the committee of conference on House Joint Resolution 157 [enacted into law as ] should consider providing the necessary authority in the conference agreement for the President to transfer funds pursuant to this title.

“part d—reporting requirements

Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title XIII, § 1351(1)128 Stat. 3606“[SEC. 231. Repealed. , , .]”

Report on Fulfillment of Primary Functions

Pub. L. 102–228, title IV, § 401(c)105 Stat. 1699section 2551 of this titlePub. L. 103–236, title I, § 139(18)108 Stat. 398, , , directed Inspector General of Arms Control and Disarmament Agency to submit, not later than , to President, Speaker of House of Representatives, and chairman of Committee on Foreign Relations of Senate a report on Agency’s fulfillment of primary functions described in and directed President to submit comments on any recommendations contained in the report dealing with executive branch organization and direction, prior to repeal by , , .

Conventional Arms Trade

Pub. L. 93–559, § 5188 Stat. 1817Pub. L. 97–113, title VII, § 734(a)(8)95 Stat. 1560

“(a)
It is the sense of the Congress that the recent growth in international transfers of conventional arms to developing nations—
“(1)
is a cause for grave concern for the United States and other nations in that in particular areas of the world it increases the danger of potential violence among nations, and diverts scarce world resources from more peaceful uses; and
“(2)
could be controlled progressively through negotiations and agreements among supplier and recipient nations.
“(b)
Therefore, the President is urged to propose to the Geneva Conference of the Committee on Disarmament that it consider as a high priority agenda item discussions among participating nations of that Conference for the purposes of—
“(1)
agreeing to workable limitations on conventional arms transfers; and
“(2)
establishing a mechanism through which such limitations could be effectively monitored.
“(c)

Pub. L. 97–113, title VII, § 734(a)(8)95 Stat. 1560 [Repealed. , , .]

”
, , , as amended by , , , provided that:

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 12946

section 1013 of Title 5Ex. Ord. No. 12946, , 60 F.R. 4829, which established within Department of Defense the President’s Advisory Board on Arms Proliferation Policy, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 13062, § 3(c), , 62 F.R. 51756, formerly set out as a note under , Government Organization and Employees.