[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 58 (Tuesday, May 3, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H2939-H2940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             OVERSEAS SECURITY ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Today, May 3, 2011, I would like to take this time to 
commend the Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council, 
or OSAC, on its 26th anniversary. Since 1985, OSAC, a public-private 
partnership, has provided accurate, timely, actionable information on 
global security concerns. Its constituents number over

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4,000, and include businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, and 
nongovernmental organizations. OSAC serves as the U.S. Government's 
primary platform for assisting the U.S. private sector to confront and 
mitigate security threats overseas. Information is shared via OSAC's 
Web site and through individual consultations between OSAC analysts and 
its constituency. OSAC's original reports are posted on their Web site, 
sent to embassies around the world, and have been requested by numerous 
U.S. and foreign government agencies.
  Through its Country Council program, OSAC provides a mechanism for 
the U.S. private sector to gather information and share best practices 
among the world's leading security experts. Country Councils are 
present in over 140 cities and serve as a forum for the discussion of 
time-sensitive and country-specific security concerns. Around the 
world, the London Country Council is gearing up for the immense 
undertaking of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games; members of the Lagos 
Country Council are discussing operating challenges in the Niger Delta; 
the various Country Councils in Mexico are creating strategies for 
operating amid the violence caused by the drug trafficking 
organizations; the Hong Kong Country Council is focusing on deterring 
cybercrime; the Erbil Country Council is facilitating discussions 
between the U.S. private sector and Kurdistan government officials.
  Over the past 26 years, OSAC has developed into the premier model for 
public-private partnership. It is the only government-sponsored 
organization specifically designed to address the private sector's 
global security concerns. Founded by Secretary of State George Shultz 
and a handful of CEOs in 1985, OSAC has expanded to include over 4,000 
constituents and looks forward to a robust partnership with the U.S. 
private sector and ensuring the safety of American entities abroad. 
Congratulations to the OSAC cochairs, Diplomatic Security Service 
Director Jeff Culver and John McClurg from the Dell Corporation, and 
the Executive Working Group: Jim Snyder from Conoco Phillips; Brad 
Brekke from Target Corporation; and Jim Hutton from Procter & Gamble. I 
also want to thank OSAC's executive director, Peter Ford, and from 
OSAC, Jackee Schools and Marsha Thurman.

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