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1 [1] (October 23, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbmr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ,~ Congressional Research Service I for r g th legislative debate since 1914 0 October 23, 2019 Diplomatic Security and the Role of Congress Congress has played a significant role in creating and overseeing the Department of State's modern-day diplomatic security apparatus. Legislation such as the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399) and the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (Appendix G, Division A, Title VI of P.L. 106-113) established core tenets of U.S. diplomatic security processes, structures, and requirements. Congress also provides annual appropriations for the State Department's diplomatic security programs. With a dangerous and ever-changing threat landscape overseas and ongoing security reforms at the department, Congress is likely to remain closely engaged on oversight and funding matters regarding diplomatic security. U.S. Diplomatic Security in a Dangerous World The Department of State maintains an overseas presence in dozens of countries with high levels of instability. When considering whether to open a post in a high-risk area, the department adheres to regulations aimed at balancing acceptable risk, the impetus of advancing core U.S. interests, and the availability of appropriate resources to accomplish the post's mission. Nevertheless, attacks on U.S. overseas posts and personnel occur with some frequency. Figure 1 illustrates that from 2006 to 2016, which comprises the most recent data available, the State Department documented more than 450 significant security incidents on U.S. diplomatic facilities and/or personnel. Figure I. U.S. Diplomatic Security Incidents, 2006-2016 1 1 # Diplomatic Security Incidents, 2006-2016 1 -2 3-7 8-18 *1944 45 -260 Source: Created by CRS based on U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, https://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/rpt/ 273453.htm, accessed May, 2019. These incidents ranged from vandalism to high-casualty terrorist attacks. Of these documented incidents, approximately 337 of them (69.34%) took place in one of the 12 countries designated as of October 2019 as Level 4: Do Not Travel by the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Like the State Department's data, information from the (nongovernmental) University of Maryland's START Global Terrorism Database indicates that of the recorded attacks against U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel, a similar high percentage occurred in countries considered dangerous or unstable. START data for the period between 2006 and 2016 includes 67 incidents designated as targeting U.S. diplomatic personnel, officials on diplomatic missions, or occurring at U.S. facilities, and meeting the criteria for terrorism defined by the Department of State's Country Report on Terrorism. Of these incidents, approximately 53% took place in countries with a level 4 travel advisory, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen; another 21% occurred in countries with a level 3 travel advisory, such as Lebanon and Pakistan. Role of Congress By passing legislation, conducting oversight of the State Department, and appropriating funding each year, Congress acts as a primary stakeholder in working to better ensure the safety and security of U.S. personnel and overseas posts. Following terrorist attacks against U.S. facilities and personnel in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983 and 1984, Congress enacted the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399) to clarify the State Department's diplomatic security responsibilities, including developing and implementing programs to protect U.S. government personnel abroad and, when necessary, providing for the safe evacuation of such personnel when their lives are endangered. This law further requires the State Department to convene an Accountability Review Board (ARB) following a significant incident at a U.S. mission abroad. It also empowers ARBs to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the relevant incident and transmit recommendations to the Secretary of State to improve the department's security programs, while requiring the Secretary to submit a report to Congress regarding the actions it has taken with respect to each recommendation. The Advisory Panel on Overseas Security, which was chaired by Admiral Bobby Inman and issued a report in 1985 containing several recommendations intended to strengthen U.S. embassy security following the Beirut attacks, first conceptualized the ARB process. Coordinated bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 prompted ARBs and heightened congressional review of embassy security standards and protocol. Those ARBs found that no attention was paid to vehicle bomb attacks in the State Department's Emergency Action Plan guidance and that the U.S. government was not devoting adequate resources to https:!crsreports~cong --

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