[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 489 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 489
To improve the conduct of strategic communication by the Federal
Government.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2009
Mr. Thornberry introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the conduct of strategic communication by the Federal
Government.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strategic Communication Act of
2009''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The ability of the United States to credibly
communicate to populations throughout the world is critical for
achieving national objectives and is essential for improving
national security and foreign policy.
(2) Strategic communication describes a variety of
instruments used by governments to understand global attitudes
and cultures, to engage in a dialogue of ideas between peoples
and institutions, to advise policymakers, diplomats, and
military leaders on the public opinion implications of policy
choices, and to influence attitudes and behavior through
communications strategies.
(3) There have been dramatic changes in the world,
including changes in technology, changes in religious, ethnic,
and regional conflicts, and changes in economic, political, and
military relationships. These dramatic changes necessitate that
the departments and agencies of the Federal Government
responsible for national security and homeland security work
more closely together so they may function more effectively.
(4) Since 2001, more than 15 private sector and
congressional reports have examined public diplomacy, with each
coming to the conclusion that United States efforts in public
diplomacy, a subset of strategic communication, are lacking in
leadership, strategic direction, interagency coordination, and
a culture of measurement and evaluation. Specifically, the
Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication
concluded that ``United States strategic communication must be
transformed.''.
(b) Center for Strategic Communication.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall solicit
from organizations whose primary role is research and analysis
related to national security and foreign policy offers to
establish a Center for Strategic Communication (in this Act
referred to as the ``Center'') within such organizations. The
Secretary shall select from among such offers one organization
to establish the Center.
(2) Tax exempt requirement.--To be eligible to make an
offer under this subsection, an organization shall be an
organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a)
of such Code.
(c) Duties.--The Center shall have the following duties:
(1) Provide information and analysis on a regular basis to
civilian and military decisionmakers in the Department of
State, the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice,
the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of
National Intelligence on issues vital to United States national
security and foreign policy to enhance the ability of such
decisionmakers to make informed decisions regarding the
following:
(A) Global public opinion.
(B) The role of culture, values, and religion in
shaping human behavior.
(C) Media trends and influences on audiences.
(D) Information technologies.
(E) The implications of all source intelligence
assessments.
(F) Such other subject matters or issues as such
decisionmakers request.
(2) Develop plans, themes, products, and programs for the
creation and implementation of United States communication
strategies that promote diplomatic opportunities, provide a
positive view of the United States, and respond to national
security threats.
(3) Support government-wide strategic communication through
services provided on a cost-recovery basis. Such services
shall--
(A) use, whenever possible, nongovernmental
entities to foster cross-cultural exchanges of ideas,
people, and information;
(B) maintain knowledge management systems, language
and skills inventories, and procedures to recruit
private sector experts for short term assignments; and
(C) develop and maintain the ability to deploy
temporary communication teams to augment planning,
recruitment, and training for strategic communication
within the Federal Government.
(4) Develop tools and techniques to monitor and evaluate
the effectiveness, efficiency, and message continuity of their
own operations and of government-wide strategic communication
initiatives to help adapt plans, themes, products, and programs
to meet current and anticipated requirements.
(5) Perform functions including--
(A) audience polling and analysis, including
analysis related to ethnographic, psychographic,
demographic, behavioral and tracking research, and
focus groups;
(B) cultural influence analysis, including analysis
related to values, religion, entertainment, and
education;
(C) analysis of media influences on audiences,
including analysis related to content analysis,
agendas, political and social tendencies, relevance and
credibility, and media organization structure,
ownership, and business models; and
(D) fostering cross-cultural exchanges of ideas,
peoples, and information.
(6) Contract with private sector and academic entities,
whenever possible, for a range of products and programs that
communicate strategic themes and messages to appropriate target
audiences, including themes and messages related to--
(A) respect for human dignity and individual
rights;
(B) individual education and economic opportunity;
and
(C) personal freedom, safety, and mobility.
(7) Mobilize nongovernment initiatives, including temporary
communication teams, coalition building partnerships, and
deployment of language-qualified global messengers.
(d) Liaison.--The Secretary of State shall designate an individual
from the Department of State to serve as a liaison between the
departments and agencies described in subsection (c)(1) and the Center.
(e) Funding.--From amounts appropriated to the Department of State
each fiscal year, $250,000,000 shall be made available to support the
administration of the Center and to fund work with private sector and
academic entities. Additional funding for projects and programs to be
carried out by the Center may be provided through contracts and task
orders entered into by departments and agencies of the Government.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
Not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report
describing the actions taken in accordance with this Act to strengthen
the Federal Government's strategic communication capability. The report
shall, at a minimum, contain the following information:
(1) A description of the efforts taken to understand global
public opinion, the strategic implications of policymaking, and
engage in more effective communication with global audiences.
(2) A description of the efforts taken to coordinate the
components of strategic communication, including components
related to public diplomacy, public affairs, international
broadcasting, and military information operations.
(3) Recommendations for additional statutory changes to
improve the public diplomacy capabilities of the United States.
(4) An examination of the feasibility of establishing a
strategic communication organization within the National
Security Council to coordinate the efforts of the Center.
(5) Recommendations for elevating officials of the
Department of State who are responsible for matters relating to
public diplomacy and public affairs to the levels of Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State or Senior Advisor to the Assistant
Secretary.
(6) Recommendations for elevating the Coordinator of the
Bureau of International Information Programs to Assistant
Secretary of State.
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