[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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