The Forum on the Arms Trade is a network of civil society experts and a point of contact for strengthening public efforts to address the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use. Managed from Washington DC, the Forum provides a venue for bringing its community's wide-ranging expertise together to amplify and strengthen its work, while also offering government and media members a one-stop resource for the latest information, analysis, and best contacts. Forum-listed experts are located around the world and work on diverse topics including human rights, development, arms control, humanitarian disarmament, cybersecurity, arms and the environment, anti-corruption, and related fields.

U.S. Conventional Arms Transfer Policy

Revised implementation fact sheet released on Nov 8 by the U.S. Department of State. Find it on our updated resource page.

Resource Page - Int'l Trade of Firearms & Ammunition: Move to Commerce Control

New proposed rule published on May 24 closed for public comment on July 9 -- transfer of some items on US Munitions List (USML) categories I-III to the Commerce Control List (CCL). See resource for concerns expressed and more information.

Notification Tracker

New FMS notifications: Dec 18 - Turkey $3.5 billion for Patriot missile systems Nov 28 - Morocco $1.259 billion for 162 Abrams tank enhancements  Poland $655 million for 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARs) Nov 27 - Egypt $1.0 billion for 10 Apache helicopters and $201 million for tank rounds (replacing Sept 17 notification) Qatar $215 million for air-to-air missiles Nov 16 - Japan $561 million for SM-3 1B&2A missiles and $63 million for air to air missiles; NATO $320.5 million for 1000s of JDAM kits;  Oct 19 - United Kingdom $3.5 billion for 16 H-47 Chinook helictopters Oct 3 - Canada $300 million for King Air ISR aircraft Iraq $82.5 million for armed Bell helicopters.  Annual total for calendar year 2018 is now > $49. billion; 2017 was $63.1 billion (all countries).  see resource 

Experts Publications

​Highlighting publications in which Forum-listed experts were involved. Inclusion on the Forum on the Arms Trade expert list does not indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of others.
Jeff Abramson, "How Congress Can Exert Responsible Oversight on Trump's Dangerous Approach to Arms Sales," Issue Brief, Arms Control Association, Jan. 15.

Robert Muggah, "Opinion: Relaxing Brazil's Gun Laws Could Make A Murderous Country Even Deadlier," National Public Radio, Jan. 10

Jasmin Nario-Galace ("Women Controlling Arms, Building Peace: The Case of the Philippines"), Ray Acheson ("WPS and Arms Trade Treaty"), in "Oxford Handbook of Women, Peace and Security," Jan. 10. 

Jeff Abramson, "Senate Buck's Trumps Saudi Approach" and "Mine Ban Nears 20th Anniversary," Arms Control Today, Jan/Feb 2019.

Wim Zwijnenburg, "Heavy Rains in Hasakah: An Open-Source Analysis of Catastrophic Damage," Bellingcat, Jan. 3.
View the full list of recent and past publications featuring Forum on the Arms Trade-listed experts.

Job Openings

Environmental Policy Officer at The Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), led by Doug Weir. Apply by Feb. 1.

Arms Trade News(letter)

Read latest newsletter, featuring publications and events of more than 20 listed experts, plus update on humanitarian disarmament developments (Jan 18)., 

Looking Ahead 2019

Forum-listed experts examine issues in 2019 related to weapons use, the arms trade, and security assistance.

Jan 11: Explosive violence and the health challenges ahead for Syria by Iain Overton

Jan 9: In 2019, Latin American Defense Industries Will Strive to Continue Replacing Out-of-Region Imports by W Alejandro Sanchez

Jan 3: Improved Prospects for U.S. Arms Sales Restraint? Look to Congress by Jeff Abramson

Jan 2: Milestones Ahead on Landmines and Cluster Munitions by Hector Guerra

Dec 27: Solving the Rubik's cube: what's next for norms in cyber space by Allison Pytlak

Dec 19: The gender and weapons nexus recognized; feminism need apply in 2019 and beyond by Ray Acheson

Dec 18: U.S. Drone Policy by Rachel Stohl and Shannon Dick

Dec 14: Will reckless, risky and wrong-headed UK support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen continue? by Anna Stavrianakis

Experts

Washington DC
Emerging Experts (Washington DC)
United States (outside Washington DC)
International
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Partners are not responsible for the work of the Forum nor does partnership indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of
other partners, listed experts, or resources produced by the Forum.