Under Secretary Dano Defends State Department Reorganization, Urges Verifiable Arms Control as Members Press on Iran and New START

Under Secretary Thomas G. Dano, the State Department official charged with arms control and international security, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that a recent reorganization of the department's international security functions creates a consolidated "T family" that will better coordinate arms control, nonproliferation, export controls and new threats.

Dano said the reorganization, completed in July 2025, merged the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation with the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence and Stability into a new Bureau of Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and brought Political-Military Affairs, Counterterrorism, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and a new Emerging Threats bureau under his purview. "We oversee nuclear, chemical, biological and conventional weapons," Dano told the committee, and the reforms are intended to make verification and policy coordination more effective.

Members across the aisle welcomed the reorganization but pressed Dano for details and for more public oversight of the administration's policies on Iran and strategic stability. Representative Meeks, the committee's ranking member, repeatedly demanded public hearings on the ongoing U.S. military campaign in Iran and pressed for information on whether the administration has invited Russia or China to talks on strategic stability after the expiration of the New START treaty. Dano said the United States retains "ongoing engagements" in multilateral P5 channels and that many sensitive diplomatic interactions are not appropriate for an open forum.

Committee Republicans focused questions on export controls, deterrence and the new bureau for emerging threats. Representative Self, chair of the Europe subcommittee, asked how the department is working with the Commerce Department and BIS to safeguard advanced chips sold to China; Dano described detailed license reviews and interagency coordination and said the department flags derogatory information during vetting.

Several members raised civil-nuclear cooperation and 123 agreements. Representative Wilson asked about a reported U.S.-Saudi 123 agreement that multiple members said had been initialed but not signed; Dano confirmed one 123 had been signed and four had been initialed and said details will be presented to Congress only after the president signs the agreements and statutory requirements under the Atomic Energy Act are met.

The hearing also explored weapons verification and modernization after New START's expiration. Lawmakers repeatedly asked whether the administration has a clear plan to restore treaty-based constraints on strategic nuclear systems and whether China or Russia would engage in successor negotiations; Dano stressed the administration's call for a "new and better" treaty and noted the need for enforceable, verifiable mechanisms.

On hybrid and emerging threats including AI, Dano said the new Emerging Threats bureau will provide a diplomatic overlay, working with intelligence, operational partners and allied governments to share information and coordinate attribution and response. "We need to organize ourselves to address the problem," he said, adding that diplomacy and export controls are part of the toolkit.

Dano faced repeated questions about the war in Iran and U.S. operational decisions. He repeatedly said operational specifics and some intelligence details are for the Department of Defense or classified channels, while reaffirming that the administration's stated goal is to "deny Iran a nuclear weapon." Several members pressed for public testimony from senior administration officials and for clearer, public policy goals.

The hearing closed with a party-line clash over oversight: Representative Meeks offered a motion to subpoena several named administration officials to testify publicly on Iran policy; the motion was debated and the committee held votes that ultimately rejected the subpoena (22 yays, 24 nays). The committee recorded roll-call tallies on procedural motions as well.

The committee requested additional written responses from the witness on several programmatic and classified items and indicated follow-up hearings or briefings (including classified briefings) may be scheduled.

The committee recessed after votes on the subpoenas and procedural motions.