§10305 — Title 22 Foreign Relations and Intercourse | U.S. Code

Summary

Creates the Regional Technology Officer Program, run by the Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy, to boost U.S. tech leadership abroad; help partners use critical and emerging technologies to support democratic values; shape regional and international tech agreements; train diplomats on tech issues; work with research labs, incubators, and investors; and preserve U.S. advantages in these areas. Within 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary must send Congress a plan on how to meet these goals, hire and make the RTO jobs competitive, expand 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 then and yearly for 5 years. Up to $25,000,000 may be appropriated each fiscal year 2023 through 2027.

Title 22, §10305

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)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)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)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)advancing the goals described in subsection (a)(2);

(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)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)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