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1 1 (February 23, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveoki0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con re sY~n I flesedrch Service horujig Aecj have le a~ 'e1914 Updated February 23, 2024 The U.S. Department of State: Background and Selected Issues for the 118th Congress Background Created by an act of Congress in 1789, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is the executive branch's lead foreign affairs agency and oldest cabinet agency. DOS's stated mission is to protect and promote U.S. security, prosperity, and democratic values and shape an international environment in which all Americans can thrive. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with Senate advice and consent, is DOS's senior officer and the President's principal foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary is supported by over 79,000 DOS employees, including around 14,000 Foreign Service personnel, 12,000 Civil Service employees, and 50,000 Locally Employed Staff (largely host country nationals working at overseas posts). DOS's organizational structure includes over 30 regional and functional bureaus. Six regional bureaus, along with the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, oversee 279 overseas posts, including 175 embassies and 88 consulates. Congress vests authority in DOS Chiefs of Mission (COMs, usually U.S. ambassadors), under presidential direction, with full responsibility for leading all executive branch employees within their country of assignment, with the exception of Voice of America correspondents and employees under a United States area military commander. Key Laws Governing State Department Operations Congress has provided statutory frameworks for aspects of DOS's operations through laws such as the following: * the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (P.L. 84-885), which authorizes DOS's organizational structure, including senior positions such as the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State, and requires the Secretary to supervise and direct DOS; * the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-465), which is the statutory means through which the State Department administers the Foreign Service, providing for appointment, promotion, and separation procedures; this law also authorizes COMs to direct U.S. diplomatic efforts; and * the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-399), which tasks the Secretary of State with, among other responsibilities, protecting U.S. government personnel on official duty abroad. Congress has utilized State Department authorization bills to authorize funding for DOS and oversee department operations. Congress uses these bills to amend previously described key laws or provide new measures. Congress has not passed a standalone, comprehensive State Department authorization since 2002. However, Congress has attached DOS authorization measures to the three most recent National Defense Authorization Acts (including Division F of P.L. 118-31, the FY2024 NDAA). Among other matters, these laws authorized appropriations for various purposes (e.g., the most recent measure authorized $150 million to build the cybersecurity capacity of partner countries and advance related priorities), authorized senior DOS positions and operating units, and established a new legislative commission to recommend how DOS can modernize to better advance U.S interests. Strategic PanWng DOS utilizes a core strategic planning process intended to prioritize resources, coordinate with interagency partners, and make informed decisions to achieve what it calls the most effective U.S. foreign policy outcomes. The objectives DOS derives from its strategic planning are used for purposes including preparing the DOS annual budget request to Congress. DOS's core strategic planning takes place at several levels. Congress, through the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Modernization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111- 352), requires DOS and other agencies to prepare quadrennial strategic plans outlining their goals and objectives. DOS and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID, which is under DOS's policy guidance) fulfill this requirement through publication of shared Joint Strategic Plans (JSPs). JSPs seek to align DOS's priorities with the executive branch's top-level strategic documents (such as the National Security Strategy) and guide bureau and mission planning. DOS bureaus develop Joint Regional and Functional Bureau Strategies (JRS or FBS), while overseas missions prepare country-level Integrated Country Strategies (ICS). Regional bureaus are required to develop their JRS with the applicable USAID regional bureau. These strategies must include bureau and mission goals, or long-term ambitions that are unlikely to be fully accomplished within four years yet communicate priorities to stakeholders; bureau and mission objectives that are specific, measurable end-states that may be achieved within four years; and shorter-term (12-18 month) sub-objectives tied to the day-to-day work of the bureau or mission. Budget Congress funds DOS primarily through Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bills. Since FY2021, Congress has appropriated approximately $70-$85 billion annually for SFOPS, including emergency funds for contingencies such

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