Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation

The Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation is an agency within the United States Department of State. It is responsible for providing oversight of policy and resources of all matters relating to the verification of compliance---or noncompliance---with international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements.

The agency is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Verification, Compliance, and Implementation, who is currently Paula A. DeSutter. It was originally the Bureau of Verification and Compliance, established on December 21, 1999 by Secretary Albright. The Bureau became operational on February 1, 2000, with the new name giving emphasis toward its involvement in every stage of the arms control and nonproliferation process.

The Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation, referred to as the "VCI Bureau," for short, is responsible for coordinating an Annual Report on "Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control and Nonproliferation Agreements and Commitments," which is required of the President by Congress. In its noncompliance assessments, the Bureau utilizes all source intelligence related to weapons of mass destruction and the proliferation behavior. The assessments are used in the process for evaluating and determining sanctionable activities.

As the Bureau acts as the Department's policy liaison to the Intelligence Community for verification and compliance, it provides guidance on funding and tasking priorities for collection resources. Bureau personnel participate regularly as Special Verification Advisors to, and as members of, delegations to ongoing bilateral and multilateral agreements. The Bureau co-chairs a number of Interagency Verification and Compliance Analysis Working Groups, including those related to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Open Skies Treaty, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

The Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation also serves as co-chair with the intelligence community of the Verification and Monitoring Task Force to improve nuclear test detection and verifiability of nuclear related agreements. These groups provide the fora for discussion and resolution of issues arising from the implementation of treaties and commitments in-force and under negotiation, and the participation in the Department of State's sanctions groups provides further information for noncompliance assessments.

External links

* [http://www.state.gov/t/vci/ The Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation at the Department of State website]
* [http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/bureauvc.html The Bureau of Verification and Compliance archives]