PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The Secretary must set up a Regional Technology Officer Program run by the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. The program is meant to boost U.S. tech leadership overseas; help partners use important and new technologies in ways that support democratic values; influence regional and international tech agreements; build diplomatic skills on tech topics; work with research labs, incubators, and venture capital to use technology in U.S. foreign policy; and keep U.S. advantages in critical technologies. Within 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary must give Congress a plan showing how to reach these goals, hire Regional Technology Officers, make the program more competitive in Foreign Service bidding, grow the program to at least 15 officers, and assign at least 2 officers to each regional bureau and to the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. The Secretary must brief Congress starting within that same 180-day period and then once a year for five years. Up to $25,000,000 can be provided for each fiscal year 2023 through 2027 to run the program.

Title 22, §10305

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Regional Technology Officer Program

(1)Establishment

The Secretary shall establish a program, which shall be known as the “Regional Technology Officer Program” (referred to in this section as the “Program”), and shall be administered by the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy.

(2)Goals

The goals of the Program shall include the following:

(A)Promoting United States leadership in technology abroad.

(B)Working with partners to increase the deployment of critical and emerging technology in support of democratic values.

(C)Shaping diplomatic agreements in regional and international fora with respect to critical and emerging technologies.

(D)Building diplomatic capacity for handling critical and emerging technology issues.

(E)Facilitating the role of critical and emerging technology in advancing the foreign policy objectives of the United States through engagement with research labs, incubators, and venture capitalists.

(F)Maintaining the advantages of the United States with respect to critical and emerging technologies.

(b)Implementation plan

Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit an implementation plan to the appropriate congressional committees that outlines strategies for— (1)

(2)hiring Regional Technology Officers and increasing the competitiveness of the Program within the Foreign Service bidding process;

(3)expanding the Program to include a minimum of 15 Regional Technology Officers; and

(4)assigning not fewer than 2 Regional Technology Officers to posts within—

(A)each regional bureau of the Department; and

(B)the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

(c)Annual briefing requirement

Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary shall brief the appropriate congressional committees regarding the status of the implementation plan required under subsection (b).

(d)Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated up to $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2024—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 118–159 inserted “, and shall be administered by the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy” before period at end.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions For definitions of “Secretary”, “appropriate congressional committees”, and “Department” as used in this section, see section 9002 of Pub. L. 117–263, set out as a note under section 2651 of this title.

§10305 Establishment and Expansion of Regional Technology Officer Program