MTCR Reform: What's a Missile?

The Trump administration recently updated the U.S. interpretation of its obligations under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to treat unmanned aerial systems similar to manned aircraft, thereby relieving their association with a decades-old multilateral framework aimed at controlling the spread of missiles that can carry weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and avoiding the MTCR’s strong presumption of denial. This change follows previous modifications by both the first Trump administration and the Biden administration.

How do these changes strengthen the U.S. industrial base and advance U.S. technological leadership? How can they help U.S. efforts to build partner capacity in the context of strategic competition with China? Do they go far enough, or is more needed? What might these reforms mean for arms control? 

To discuss these MTCR changes, please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department’s HTK Series for a conversation featuring Heather Williams, director of the CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues, Tom Karako, director of the CSIS Missile Defense Project, and Kari Bingen, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project.

This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.