The White House on Monday formally nominated Rose Gottemoeller to serve as the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, reaffirming her spot in a role that she has filled in an acting capacity since earlier this year. Gottemoeller replaced Ellen Tauscher as the State Department’s top arms control official while remaining as the head of the Office of Verification and Compliance since Feb. 7, but a 210-day limit on acting appointments forced the Administration to nominate Gottemoeller now or face potential criticism from Senate lawmakers. With the November general elections looming, there is no chance that the Senate will confirm Gottemoeller’s nomination, and the Administration would have to resubmit her nomination in January if Obama was to win reelection. Gottemoeller was the chief negotiator on the New START Treaty and has spent the last year laying the groundwork for follow-on arms control negotiations with Russia as well as the Administration’s push for Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty.
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