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James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
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CNS Feature StoriesSpecial articles and reports on timely nonproliferation issues by CNS staff.
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Updated: Dec 6, 2011
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Re-Charting U.S. Government Agencies Involved in Nuclear PolicyCNS updates its 2009 "U.S. Government Agencies Combating Nuclear Proliferation" chart, showing the complexity of such efforts.
Author(s):
Anya Loukianova
Posted: November 11, 2011 In February 2009, analysts from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) released a chart titled "U.S. government agencies combating nuclear proliferation."[1] The chart was inspired by an extensive discussion in the December 2008 Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission report of the deficiencies in coordination among the agencies responsible for preventing WMD terrorism.[2] Among its many findings, the Commission noted the dramatic increase in interagency committees and working groups, especially since the September 11, 2001 attacks. This trend, the report noted, was "accompanied by a considerable duplication of committee agendas and taskings."[3] The CNS chart aimed to reflect the structural complexity of U.S. government efforts involved in crafting and implementing policies to counter nuclear proliferation. This chart received helpful comments and critiques from individuals in academic institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and, crucially, the government agencies themselves. Many of the comments suggested that the chart's depiction of the bureaucratic complexity, while largely accurate and instructive, still did not go far enough. Most of the comments also noted the need to add various agency office or government-funded institution. A revised version of the chart, incorporating these comments, was posted on the CNS website shortly after. Introducing the 2011 ChartThe November 2011 update to the chart aims to depict the structural changes in U.S. government agencies that took place during the past two years. Unlike its 2009 version, this chart takes a broader view of nuclear policy making, adding some arms control and nonproliferation elements to counterproliferation policy.[4] It does so with the recognition that there are close relationships between these three government missions and includes activities such as: counterterrorism, deterrence, emergency response, export controls (related to nuclear, missile, and dual-use technologies), financial sanctions, missile defense, nuclear forensics, special operations, as well as activities related to the management of nuclear treaties, multilateral regimes, and less formally structured international programs, such as interdiction, nuclear fuel cycle engagement, threat reduction, and the intelligence support for all of these activities. Several disclaimers are in order. First, and most crucially, this chart does not intend to be comprehensive in its scope. Some entities are deliberately omitted, as detailed in the section below. Further, the chart also suffers from selection biases. This update relied on the availability of organizational charts and press releases detailing the structural changes on the respective agency websites, all as of summer 2011. The chart also drew on two Department of Defense (DOD) publications, including: the first volume of the 2011 Report on the Activities and Programs for Countering Proliferation and NBC Terrorism, which offers the most comprehensive unclassified view of U.S. government counterproliferation activities; and the Guide to Arms Control Policy and Implementation Organizations, a Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)-published list of contacts in U.S. government agencies involved in setting and implementing arms control policy.[5] As of this writing, no comparable summary publications were easily available on nuclear nonproliferation policy making. Finally, the visual depiction of some department and office relationships, the selection of colors and abbreviations, the disparities in standardization and the level of detail on individual agencies, as well as certain omissions were the result of certain trade-offs between accuracy and aesthetic. As such, these choices may appear subjective. That said, any attempt at a comprehensive overview of even the minutest bureaucratic activity is probably not immune from some degree of subjectivity. Detailing Key Changes between 2009 and 2011This section briefly discusses the changes in government agencies depicted in the chart, highlights some of the differences between the 2009 and 2011 charts, and notes the entities that were omitted from the chart. The National Security Council In February 2009, the Obama administration announced changes to, and initiated an additional review of, the NSC structure, particularly as it related to countering terrorism.[6] In May 2009, the Homeland Security Council was incorporated into the NSC as part of a unified "National Security Staff."[7] The Department of State[8] There has been a range of structural changes within State since 2009. Most notably, Secretary Hillary Clinton announced the restructuring of the "T bureaus" in February 2010.[9] This restructuring aimed to "make arms control the centerpiece of a newly named Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance ... and concentrate the focus of [the] Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation... on ... the proliferation challenges [the United States faces]."[10] Further, Robert Einhorn was appointed as Special Adviser for Nonproliferation and Arms Control in July 2009.[11] It should also be noted that several arguably key entities that have been omitted from this chart are the U.S. Ambassador to NATO and the U.S. Mission to Vienna. The Department of Defense There have been many structural changes within the DOD since 2009.[12] As in 2009, visually depicting all DOD units involved in nuclear policy making and implementing is a difficult task. Because of this, the chart may suffer from significant omissions. That said, the four key players in counterproliferation policy are easily identified due to their participation in the Standing Committee of the Interagency Counterproliferation Program Review Committee (SC CPRC). They include: the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs (ASD(NCB)), who chairs the SC CPRC; the Deputy Director for Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment/Director, Joint Requirements Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J-8); the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs (ASD(GSA)); andthe Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).[13] The DOD includes a range of entities in the individual services, which are not depicted in the chart. These include, among others: the Department of the Air Force Strategic Plans and Policy Division under the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Plans and Requirements and Directorate for Operational Planning, Policy and Strategy (A5XP); DAMO-SS—the Department of the Army G-35, Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy; DAMO-SSD—the Combating WMD and Nuclear Proliferation Policy Division; DAMO-ODO/Treaties Branch—Operations and Contingency Plans Division, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans (and related implementing agents); the United States Army Nuclear and Combating WMD Agency (USANCA); the Department of the Navy Naval Treaty Implementation Program (NTIP), which is located within the office of the Director of Strategic Systems Programs, under the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN(RD&A)).[14] Further, the chart also does not depict the Standing Joint Force Headquarters for WMD elimination that the Secretary of Defense directed USSTRACTCOM to establish during FY 2011.[15] The Department of Energy[16] There has been a range of structural changes within the DOE during these past two years.[17] Most notably, the chart reflects the changes in the structure of the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA).[18] Unlike the 2009 chart, the 2011 chart also includes several entities in the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy under the Office of the Under Secretary with the rationale that these play an important role in international fuel cycle activities.[19] Further, the 2011 chart takes greater care in depicting national laboratories and other sites that play an important role in nuclear deterrence-, threat reduction-, and nuclear fuel cycle-related activities, among others. The Department of Homeland Security[20] The 2011 chart is less detailed than the 2009 chart, highlighting only the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center within the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO).[21] The Department of Justice[22] The 2011 chart adds a depiction of several entities within the structure of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[23] These include the Counterterrorism Division within the National Security Branch and the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch that includes the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG). The CIRG includes the Crisis Management Unit, which, in turn, commands the Domestic Emergency Support Team (DEST) and participates in the multi-agency Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST, not depicted), which respond to domestic WMD threats and overseas terrorist incidents, respectively.[24] The Department of Health and Human Services The agency structure depiction differs from the 2009 chart in omitting the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.[25] The Department of Commerce The agency structure depiction differs from the 2009 chart in portraying the Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance within the Bureau of Industry and Security.[26] The Department of Treasury The agency structure depiction does not differ from 2009 chart.[27] The Intelligence Community Unlike the 2009 chart, the 2011 chart groups 16 IC agencies in one cluster under the Office Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The depiction does not distinguish between "Program Managers, who advise and assist the ODNI in identifying requirements, developing budgets, managing finances, and evaluating the IC's performance; Departmentals, who are IC components within government departments outside the Department of Defense that focus on serving their parent department's intelligence needs; and Services, which encompass intelligence personnel in the armed forces, and which primarily support their own Service's needs."[28] Like in the 2009 chart, the 2011 chart depicts the National Counterproliferation Center (NCPC) and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC).[29] It also highlights the National Intelligence Council's Joint Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee, and the CIA's Office of Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation, and Arms Control Center (WINPAC).[30] The CBRN Counterterrorism Group (CCTG), comprised of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and NCTC CBRN analysts is also new addition to the chart.[31] Other entities The 2011 chart excludes a handful of entities that were depicted on the 2009 chart. These include the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Academy of Sciences. Last, but not least, there are other important players in policy review and implementation, such as the Government Accountability Office and the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation, which have also been excluded. Acknowledgements and Concluding NotesThe author is grateful to the following individuals (listed in alphabetical order) for their insightful comments and assistance on the draft versions of this chart: Toby Dalton, Gregory Dwyer, Bryan Lee, Stephanie Lieggi, Mary Beth Nikitin, Joshua Pollack, Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Spector, and Charles Thornton. All inaccuracies, mistakes, and omissions remain the fault of the author. Additional feedback regarding this chart is most welcome. The chart will be updated as needed.
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Updated: Dec 6, 2011
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