Seal of the United States Department of State
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Bureau overview | |
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Formed | September 13, 2005 |
Preceding agencies |
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Jurisdiction | Executive branch of the United States |
Employees | 412 (as of 2014) |
Annual budget | $600 million (FY 2013) |
Bureau executive | |
Parent department | U.S. Department of State |
Website | www |
The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) is a bureau within the United States Department of State responsible for managing a broad range of nonproliferation and counterproliferation functions. The bureau leads U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons) and their delivery systems.
It was created on September 13, 2005 when the Bureau of Arms Control and the Bureau of Nonproliferation were merged. Stephen G. Rademaker was the first the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation. He had been the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, and in February 2005 he was named the head of the Bureau for Nonproliferation pending the two bureaus' merger. The previous Acting Assistant Secretary was Francis C. Record, and Assistant Secretary John C. Rood, of Arizona, was confirmed by the senate on September 13, 2006.
The Bureau's role within the Department of State is to spearhead efforts to promote international consensus on WMD proliferation through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, and to address WMD proliferation threats posed by non-state actors and terrorist groups by improving physical security, using interdiction and sanctions, and actively participating in the Proliferation Security Initiative.