Particularly in unstable regions or situations, arms control can make aggression a less attractive option. By mandating the destruction of 60,000 pieces of certain offensive weapons such as tanks, helicopters and aircraft, for example, the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty dramatically reduced the prospect of a large-scale attack in Europe. And arms control can help to build confidence among potential adversaries, for example, by providing advance notice and observation of troop exercises. The threatening reach for a weapon becomes the benign retrieval of the car keys. We pursue arms control in a number of ways.
Negotiated agreements play a major role.
And arms control can defy traditional expectations. Arms Control and Defense One may wonder, after hearing all this, how arms control fits into our overall national security policy. Also consider than when arms control avoids or reduces threats, it makes defense more achievable. It's defense by other means. That's why we in the State Department work so closely with the Department of Defense, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop arms control policies that create a more stable and predictable international climate.