1.This Act may be cited as the
Strategic Communication Act of
2009
.
2.Establishment of
Center for Strategic Communication
(a)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)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)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)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)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)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.
3.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.