Paula A. DeSutter was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation on August 14, 2002.
The Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation has principal responsibility for the overall supervision of all matters relating to the verification of and compliance with international arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements and commitments. The Bureau led, coordinated, and participated in the implementation of the United States' effort to assist Libya in meeting its December 2003 commitment to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction programs and long-range missiles. The Assistant Secretary is the principal policy liaison to the U.S. Intelligence Community for verification and compliance issues. The Bureau prepares the U.S. assessment of other nations' compliance with their arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament commitments.
Ms. DeSutter brings to her position an extensive background in verification and a career focus on national security and intelligence. She served for over four years as a Professional Staff Member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). Ms. DeSutter was professional staff liaison to Senator Jon Kyl and was responsible for legislation and oversight of intelligence collection, analysis and activities related to proliferation, terrorism, arms control, the Persian Gulf States, India, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan.
Prior to her work in the Senate, Ms. DeSutter held numerous positions in the Verification and Intelligence Bureau in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). She was selected to represent ACDA as a student at the National War College, then returned to the National Defense University as a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at its Center for Counter-Proliferation Research.
Ms. DeSutter's publications include Denial and Jeopardy: Deterring Iranian Use of NBC Weapons (NDU Press, 1998).
Ms. DeSutter holds a Master of Arts in International Relations, a Master of Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, a Master of Arts in Economics, and a B.A. in Political Science. Her work at the National War College earned her the President’s Strategic Vision Award for Excellence in Research and Writing, and she was a Distinguished Graduate.
Bureau of Verification, Compliance, and Implementation remarks, press releases, fact sheets
