Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
12/19/2014
The Senate confirmed a pair of Obama Administration nuclear weapons and arms control nominees this week, clearing Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans and Capabilities Robert Scher and Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance Frank Rose before adjourning. But the wait for Scher and Rose was quite different. Scher was part of a group of noncontroversial nominees confirmed by unanimous consent earlier this week, ending a relatively short wait for the Pentagon official. Scher was nominated to the post in September and was cleared by the Senate Armed Services Committee last week.
Rose, on the other hand, waited more than 500 days to be confirmed by the Senate. He was originally nominated to the position in July 2013, but his nomination was blocked by Republicans over concerns about a lack of commitment from the Obama Administration to undertake further nuclear weapon reductions only through a treaty process. He had served as the deputy assistant secretary of state for space and defense policy within the Bureau of Arms Control Verification and Compliance. Previously, he was a staffer on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is a “huge talent, and I’m delighted he’s been confirmed,” Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller told NS&D Monitor. “Can’t wait. We’ve been a great team so far, and it’s going to be a great team going forward.
Key Policy Players
Both officials will play a significant role in shaping the Obama Administration’s arms control and nuclear weapons policy over the final two years of President Obama’s term. Scher’s position was created as part of a DoD Office of Policy reorganization, with his duties carved out of the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Strategic Affairs position held by Madelyn Creedon. The position includes oversight of nuclear and missile defense policy, but countering weapons of mass destruction, cyber policy and space policy have been moved under the new Homeland Defense directorate.
Scher has stated that he would support further U.S.-Russia nuclear force reductions under New START, and that the United States could ensure allies’ safety by pursuing reductions of one-third below New START levels, to about 1,000 strategic deployed warheads. While Scher said the United States aims to reduce to New START levels by early 2018, he reiterated the Administration would not seek further reductions without Russian cooperation. “And right now it’s hard to imagine that we are in that situation where we can talk to the Russians about that kind of work,” he said.
