Diplomatic Reserve Corps Pilot Program Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
Introduced
Summary
Diplomatic Reserve Corps Pilot Program would establish a small, trained reserve of diplomatic personnel available for temporary activation to support crises, evacuations, disaster response, and other overseas contingencies. The pilot would test whether a permanent reserve corps is feasible and what authorities, training, and structure it would need.
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- Retired Foreign Service members and other recruits would be eligible for appointment and training. The pilot must start with at least 250 members in year one and may add up to 250 members each of the next three years, with no more than 30 percent at senior equivalent ranks.
- U.S. missions and crisis operations would gain a surge workforce the Secretary of State could activate for diplomatic operations, evacuations, armed conflicts, natural disasters, consular surges, and other contingencies. Members would receive orientation, security, medical, and readiness training and face annual readiness evaluations.
- The Secretary would have to submit a plan to congressional foreign affairs committees within six months and a final evaluation within three years. The final report would assess expanding appointments to retired civil servants, other federal retirees, and qualified nonfederal experts. The pilot would end three years after enactment unless reauthorized.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Diplomatic reserve for crisis response
This bill would require the Secretary of State to set up a Diplomatic Reserve Corps Pilot Program within nine months. The pilot would recruit at least 250 members in year one and would be authorized to add up to 250 more members each year for the next three fiscal years. The Secretary would be able to appoint retired Foreign Service members and would set training and readiness standards, including orientation, security, medical training, and yearly readiness checks at State Department training centers. The Secretary would be able to activate members for temporary service abroad during crises, evacuations, disasters, consular surges, and other foreign affairs contingencies. An initial plan would be due to key congressional committees within six months of enactment, and a final evaluation would be due three years after the pilot is established that would assess making the corps permanent and expanding eligibility to retired Civil Service, other federal retirees, and qualified non-federal experts. The pilot would end three years after enactment unless Congress reauthorizes it, and no more than 30% of certain appointees would be at ranks like Foreign Service classes 1 and 2.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]
WA • R
Sponsored 6/4/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov