Reading Room Document

Whether the Arms Control and Disarmament Act RequiresPreparation of an Arms Control Impact Statement for Nonweapons Programs

This document discusses the interpretation of the Arms Control and Disarmament Act and whether the Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) has the authority to require the Department of Energy to prepare an "Arms Control Impact Statement" (ACIS) for nonweapons programs that may affect arms control policy. The conclusion reached is that the Act does not require the preparation of an ACIS for programs not designed or intended to be applied as weapons. The questions presented for review include whether the term "weapons" in the Act modifies "technology" as well as "systems," and whether the legislative history supports the interpretation that the Act applies only to programs with a military purpose.

February 27, 1978