To increase transparency of transfers of small arms and light weapons. The U.S. has established itself as a leader in the small arms transparency, setting a global standard through its Section 655 reporting requirements. The U.S. is encouraging other countries to adopt the Section 655 report as a model for their own transparency efforts. In Wassenaar, the U.S. has proposed expanding the current seven reporting categories to seventeen, and has encouraged members to report separately on arms sold to non-Wassenaar countries. Finally, the U.S. is proposing that member countries report all arms transfers to zones of conflict.
Unsecured stockpiles are a main source of weapons to thieves and illicit traffickers.
The U.S. has destroyed or assisted in the destruction of weapons stockpiles in a number of countries, including Liberia, Albania, Kuwait, Haiti, and Panama. We have provided assistance as part of the KFOR and SFOR peacekeeping missions. And we have a number of destruction projects in the planning stage, including cooperative efforts with Norway in Southeastern Europe. While good efforts are underway, the U.S. believes that this aspect of the small arms problem needs still greater attention. Measures to secure active stocks and destroy excess weapons are cheap, often costing just pennies a weapon for large stocks.