Sec. 7216. OVERSEAS CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND STRATEGY
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## SEC. 7216 OVERSEAS CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND STRATEGY ###
(a)Senior Focal Point on Crisis Management and Response ####
(1)Designation The Secretary shall designate a senior official with significant experience in crisis management and response to support the Department’s response to and management of international crises as defined in subsection (e). ####
(2)Duties The Senior Focal Point for Crisis Management and Response shall facilitate the Department’s coordinated response to crisis management and response, in a manner consistent with roles and responsibilities of other senior Department and USAID personnel assigned to address and implement crisis management and response activities, and will carry out relevant activities to include the following: #####
(A)Coordinate the Department’s response to and management of international crises. #####
(B)Coordinate with regional and other relevant Department bureaus and USAID on such crises and other matters relevant to crisis management and response. #####
(C)Facilitate information necessary for the execution of after-action reviews after international crises. #####
(D)Maintain close liaison with the appropriate congressional committees regarding the Department’s response to and management of international crises. #####
(E)Undertake other duties, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Administrator, relevant to crisis management and response. ####
(3)Reporting The Senior Focal Point for Crisis Management and Response shall report directly to the Secretary in the execution of the duties described under paragraph (2). ###
(b)Tabletop Exercises and Simulations ####
(1)In general Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually thereafter for 3 years, the Secretary shall direct the relevant offices of the Department to ensure a tabletop exercise or simulation on international crises is conducted by the Department. The tabletop exercise or simulation should be conducted in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. ####
(2)Matters to be included The Secretary shall ensure that such exercises or simulations address the Department’s crisis response and evacuation requirements, and should include— #####
(A)the necessary and appropriate information to outline the crisis management roles and responsibilities of the Department’s senior leadership; #####
(B)established Department crisis management structures for international crises; #####
(C)required processes, personnel, and resources for operational drawdown and evacuation operations in international crises; and #####
(D)all procedures relevant to the identification of, coordination with, and the provision of assistance to— ######
(i)private United States citizens; ######
(ii)United States Government employees and their dependents; ######
(iii)United States allies and partners; ######
(iv)local nationals who have assisted United States Government efforts; and ######
(v)third-country nationals. ####
(3)Leadership; participation The Secretary shall ensure that— #####
(A)the Department’s Senior Focal Point on Crisis Management and Response, the Operation Center’s Crisis Management and Strategy team, the Foreign Service Institute’s Leadership and Management School’s Crisis Management Training division, or other Department operating units, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, lead such exercises or simulations; and #####
(B)such exercises or simulations include the participation of the Department’s relevant senior leadership and staff, including leadership and staff from regional and relevant functional bureaus. ####
(4)Consultation Such exercises or simulations may be conducted in consultation with— #####
(A)the Department of Defense; #####
(B)other Federal agencies; and #####
(C)State and local government entities. ####
(5)Participation The Secretary may, as consistent with the national security interests of the United States, invite to participate in such exercises or simulations— #####
(A)foreign allies and partners; and #####
(B)civil society and nongovernmental organizations, including those that have directly engaged in crisis response efforts in the past. ####
(6)Briefing #####
(A)In general Except as provided in subparagraph (C), not later than 90 days after the completion of any tabletop exercise or simulation required under paragraph (1), the Department shall brief the appropriate congressional committees, the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on the organization of the tabletop exercise or simulation. The briefing, or particular elements therein, may be provided in a classified format. #####
(B)Elements The briefing required under subparagraph
(A)should— ######
(i)provide a description of the tabletop exercise or simulation; ######
(ii)identify, as appropriate, key participants in the tabletop exercise or simulation; ######
(iii)include any deficiencies identified in prior tabletop exercise and plans to mitigate such deficiencies; ######
(iv)provide a summary of the supporting capabilities, including infrastructure, prepositioned equipment and supplies, personnel and other supporting logistics capabilities, required to respond to the simulated international crisis; and ######
(v)include such other information as determined necessary or appropriate by the Secretary. #####
(C)Notification in lieu of briefing Beginning on the date that is 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, not later than 90 days after the completion of any tabletop exercise or simulation required under paragraph (1), submit to the appropriate congressional committees a notice of such exercise or simulation which shall be in lieu of a briefing reviewing the tabletop exercise or simulation required under subparagraph (A). ###
(c)Foreign Service Institute Training The Secretary shall ensure existing crisis management curricula and courses offerings are reviewed for accuracy and tailored to relevant audiences. In addition, the Foreign Service Institute should ensure that the ambassadorial seminar and Deputy Chief of Mission course include curriculum on crisis management, including one or more of the following: ####
(1)The use of regular internal town halls and targeted messages from the Ambassador or Deputy Chief of Mission to support mission objectives during crisis periods. ####
(2)Established best practices for internal communications specific to high-threat posts. ####
(3)Diplomatic post-led drawdown and evacuation operations, military assisted departures, and noncombatant evacuation operations. ####
(4)Best practices for leading post efforts to communicate with and assist United States citizens. ####
(5)How to conduct or participate in the Department’s domestic-led tabletop exercises and simulations, including those authorized in subsection (b). ####
(6)Communicating with and assessing the needs of locally employed staff during emergencies. ###
(d)Department of State Emergency Response Lessons Learned Clearinghouse ####
(1)In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and maintain a clearinghouse of lessons learned and after-action reports relating to international crises, including evacuation operations of United States Government employees and their eligible family members or evacuation of private United States citizens or third-country nationals, to be known as the “Department of State Emergency Response Lessons Learned Clearinghouse” (in this section referred to as the “Clearinghouse”). ####
(2)Repository The Clearinghouse should be designed to provide— #####
(A)a central electronic repository of lessons learned and after-action reports to be made accessible to Department personnel to be used to improve crisis response and contingency planning; #####
(B)resources to inform and develop crisis response and contingency planning, including for the ambassadorial seminar and Deputy Chief of Mission course as provided in subsection (c); and #####
(C)publicly available documents and information, as appropriate, for civil society, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to assist with the Department’s development of best practices. ###
(e)International Crisis Defined In this section , the term “**international crisis**” means any situation overseas which requires the Department to change the operating status of United States diplomatic facilities, including a diplomatic post-led or military-assisted departure, ordered departure, or a noncombatant evacuation operation. # TITLE LXXIII INFORMATION SECURITY AND CYBER DIPLOMACY