H. R. 4185 - INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2004

Introduced in the House by Representative David Dreier (R-CA) on April 21, 2004. 
Co-Sponsors

This bill will improve the coordination of the Federal Government in identifying and responding to weak or failing countries, to improve the coordination and conduct of pre-conflict stabilization operations and post-conflict reconstruction operations through the creation of various department offices and a coordinating Joint Task Force.

The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 is amended by adding after section 58 (22 U.S.C. 2730) the following:

• The Secretary shall establish within the Department of State an Office of Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization.
• The Office shall have primary responsibility for planning and administering non-military aspects of overseas contingency operations, including pre-conflict stabilization operations and post-conflict reconstruction operations
• The head of the Office shall be the Undersecretary for Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization. The President shall appoint the Undersecretary, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
• The Office shall be organized into three bureaus, as follows; the Bureau of Contingency Planning, the Bureau of Contingency Training and the Bureau of Contingency Coordination.

The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 is further amended by adding after section 59, as added by the above, the following:

• The Undersecretary for Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization shall identify a country as a weak or failing country if the Undersecretary determines that the country endangers or is likely to endanger: the population of such country; the security or stability of neighboring countries; United States national security; success in the Global War on Terrorism; or United States or international efforts towards the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
• The Undersecretary shall categorize a weak or failing country into one of three risk categories, each of which corresponds to an increasing level of risk relative to the preceding category, as follows: Country of risk; Country of impending risk; Country of immediate risk.
• Not later than 30 days after the initial categorization of a weak or failing country as a country of risk, country of impending risk, or a country of immediate risk, the Assistant Secretary for Contingency Planning shall conduct a review of the amount of foreign assistance provided to the country and any diplomatic efforts undertaken with regard to the country. Additionally, periodic updates and follow up reports will be done.

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended by adding after section 451 (22 U.S.C. 2261) the following:

• There is established in the Treasury an account to be known as the `Department of State Emergency Stabilization Operations Support Fund' (in this section referred to as the `Fund'). The Fund shall consist of amounts appropriated to the Fund. Amounts in the Fund are available without further appropriation and until expended to carry out this section.
• The President, acting through the Undersecretary of State for Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization, is authorized to use amounts in the Fund to furnish emergency financial assistance to the Office of Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization of the Department of State, for use with respect to a country categorized under section 60 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 as a country of impending risk or a country of immediate risk
• The President shall submit to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate an annual report covering the previous year and containing: an identification of the countries of impending risk and the countries of immediate risk for which amounts from the Fund have been expended; a specification of the amounts of emergency financial assistance so expended; an explanation of how or in what manner the emergency financial assistance was used; an evaluation of the effectiveness of the emergency financial assistance in helping the Office of Overseas Contingencies and Stabilization carry out the stabilization operations; and such other information as the President considers necessary and appropriate.

Chapter 6 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 164 the following:

• Whenever the commander of a regional combatant command, at the direction of the President or Secretary of Defense, begins planning for a contingency operation that has been or may be directed by the President or Secretary of Defense, the commander shall establish, within the staff of the combatant command, a joint interagency task force to prepare for any post-conflict reconstruction operations that may result from that contingency operation.
• Subject to the direction of the President and Secretary of Defense, and except as otherwise specified by the commander of the command, the head of any task force shall be the deputy commander of the combatant command. If the deputy commander is not the head of the task force, the head of the task force shall be a general or flag officer on active duty who is assigned to the combatant command.
• A task force established under this section with respect to a contingency operation shall assist the combatant commander in planning, before, during, and after the combatant command is involved in combat operations, for post-conflict reconstruction operations in order to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible from the conflict phase to the post-conflict reconstruction phase of the operation.

There is established in the Executive Office of the President a task force to be known as the `Joint Task Force for Stabilization, Reconstruction, and Contingency Operations Coordination' (in this section referred to as the `Joint Task Force'). The Joint Task Force shall be headed by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs or a designee of the Assistant. The mission of the Joint Task Force is to ensure proper and complete coordination between Federal agencies before, during, and after instances in which the United States participates in:

• pre-conflict stabilization operations in a foreign country;
• contingency operations in a foreign country; and
• post-conflict reconstruction operations in a foreign country.

The Joint Task Force shall be comprised of:

• Each Director or Acting Director of Operations
• A deputy commander of the combatant command of the joint interagency task force for post-conflict reconstruction operations
• Such additional officials of the executive branch as the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs or a designee of the Assistant determines to be appropriate.

+ FULL TEXT OF BILL