World’s experts to discuss arms control dilemmas at International Arms Control Conference

Publication Date:

Sandia news media contact

John German
jdgerma@sandia.gov
505-844-5199

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Some 275 experts representing the United Nations, NATO, and more than 40 countries will gather in Albuquerque April 14-16 to discuss the spread of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and the technologies required to monitor and control them.

The focus of the Tenth Annual International Arms Control Conference is “Conundrums in Arms Control: The New Millennium.” The conference will feature keynote addresses by international luminaries in arms control. Panels of distinguished government officials and foreign affairs experts from around the world will discuss the following topics:

  • Arms Control in the New Millennium: Is It Relevant to National Security?
  • Arms Control, Leadership, and Multilateralism
  • Missile Defense Regimes: Consequences for Arms Control and International Security
  • Regional Security: What Do the Players Want? What Do They Think Is Possible?
  • The Role of Science and Technology in the Arms Control Agenda

The conference is hosted by the Center for National Security and Arms Control (CNSAC) at the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories. CNSAC’s mission is to help political and technical experts from around the world acquire the technology needed to monitor and control the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. (See newsreleases.sandia.gov/center-for-national-security-and-arms-control-preserving-peace-through-high-tech-vigilance.)

See the end of this news release for a list of key speakers, or contact John German, Sandia Media Relations, at 505-844-5199 or jdgerma@sandia.gov for a full agenda.

To allow for a free exchange of ideas, reporters covering the conference are asked to follow special attribution guidelines. Please contact John German at 505-844-5199 for details.

The conference takes place at the Sheraton Uptown Hotel in Albuquerque (call 800-252-7772 for accommodations). If you plan to cover the conference, please contact John German.

“This conference brings together key leaders and policymakers in the arms control community to discuss issues that are of concern to nations around the world,” says conference chair Dr. James Brown of Sandia. “Previous conferences have allowed for a creative exchange of ideas and have resulted in valuable relationships among some of the world’s top arms control experts.”

Conference participants represent government, private industry, the armed forces, and academia.Key speakers

  • April 14, 7-9:30 p.m. (reception and dinner): Ambassador Abdallah Baali, Chair of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference and Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations
  • April 15, 8-10 a.m. (opening session): The Honorable Ronald F. Lehman II, Center for Global Security Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy; Dr. Wilhelm Gmelin (Germany), Director, EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) Safeguards; Ambassador Jean-Marie Guehenno, Chairman of the Board, Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale, France
  • April 15, 12:30-2 p.m. (luncheon): The Honorable William Reinsch, Under Secretary for Export Controls, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • April 15, 2 p.m.: Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations
  • April 15, 3:30 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.)
  • April 15, 7:15-10 p.m. (reception and dinner): Dr. Hans Binnendijk (invited), Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Defense Policy and Arms Control, U.S. National Security Council
 

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.

Sandia news media contact

John German
jdgerma@sandia.gov
505-844-5199