August 10, 1983
President Reagan this week advised Congress of a number of steps to strengthen the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) and reiterated his determination to pursue effective
reductions in nuclear arms. ACDA has key roles in advising the President, the Secretary of State,
and the National Security Council on arms control matters and in negotiating arms control
agreements with the Soviet Union and other nations. The decisions today follow on the
President's announced intentions earlier this year to invigorate the Agency.
The President has asked the Congress to consider an amendment to ACDA's 1984 budget in the
amount of $2,095,000. This represents a 10-percent increase over the administration's previously
approved request. He has also approved an increase of 25 people in the Agency's personnel level
over the next 2 years or an increase of 12 percent.
These additional resources will be used primarily to strengthen the Agency's support for the
negotiations to reduce strategic nuclear arms and intermediate nuclear forces and in the
verification area. The resources will also provide the Agency with a modern state-of-the-art
secure computing capability.
Praising the work of the Agency, the negotiators, and advisers, the President also announced that
he would seek legislation to upgrade the Agency's executive positions. The Deputy Director, the
START negotiator, and the INF negotiator would be upgraded to Executive Level III, while the
Agency's four Assistant Directors would be upgraded to Executive Level IV. This reflects the
important role of the Agency's leadership and negotiators. This change will put them on the same
level as their counterparts in other U.S. Government agencies.
Together these measures will help the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency fulfill its critical
missions.