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.