Government operations and workforce · Advisory committees

Executive Order 12946: President's Advisory Board on Arms Proliferation Policy

President: Bill Clinton

Created a five-member bipartisan board to assess conventional-arms proliferation and recommend changes in United States transfer policy.

Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 12946 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12946 was revoked. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 12946 do?

EO 12946 established the President’s Advisory Board on Arms Proliferation Policy. Five presidential appointees were to review the national-security effects of conventional-arms transfers, consider restraint and transparency measures, and report to the President. The board conducted an 18-month study and delivered its report in June 1996. Under the order, it terminated 30 days after submitting its final report.

Administration position: The board supplied recommendations, not binding export rules. Arms transfers still depended on statutes, presidential policy and licensing decisions.
SignedJanuary 20, 1995
MembershipFive presidential appointees
Final reportJune 1996

Before and after

Before the order

The administration was reviewing post-Cold War conventional-arms transfer policy without this external presidential board.

After the order

The board evaluated the policy and urged greater priority for conventional-arms control.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Advisory boardReview proliferation risks and policy optionsThrough final report
Executive agenciesProvide information and assistanceAs legally permitted

What happened next

EO 12946 created the board.

The administration announced its conventional-arms transfer policy.