September 21, 2023
What happens after an arms control treaty is signed and ratified, and the hard work of negotiations bears fruit? In short, more hard work. Negotiating implementation and verification regimes into the treaty text is only half the battle. Ensuring that these provisions work as intended requires the persistent work and continued commitment of all states parties to the treaty. With over four decades of experience working on arms control, non-proliferation, and disarmament issues as a civil servant of the United States in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the U.S. Department of State, Director Neil Couch has played an active part in the implementation and verification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (the Moscow Treaty), and the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Using his unique, personal involvement with each of these treaty regimes, Director Couch will discuss the verification and implementation of START, the Moscow Treaty, and New START, and how specific treaty issues changed across each treaty and how specific issues from START and the Moscow Treaty directly influenced New START.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Moderator, Spencer Erjavic, Graduate Research Assistant, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies
03:50 Presentation: Neil Couch, Director, Office of Verification, Planning, and Outreach; Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance; U.S. Department of State
39:35 Q&A
