22 U.S.C. § 2719a: Foreign affairs training

Summary

Require the State Department to grow and improve training and career development for its Foreign Service and Civil Service staff. The Director General must create and expand fellowship programs with places like think tanks, NGOs, the Department of Defense and other agencies, industry (especially tech and finance), and university programs. Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Director General must send Congress a report on how to expand the Pearson and Brookings fellowship programs so fellows can do follow-on work inside the Department that builds real experience with Congress and Department operations. The report must assess current demand, support for applicants, the value to officers and the Department, and options to make fellowships more career-enhancing. Other national security agencies should be able to send more staff to Foreign Service Institute (FSI) courses. Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary must report to the appropriate congressional committees on training available to congressional staff, the budget effects, and possible courses. Create outside oversight and senior training roles at FSI. The Secretary may set up a Board of Visitors of 12 outside experts to advise on management, strategy, curriculum, and how training links to talent management; the Board should be created within 1 year after December 23, 2022, meet at least twice a year, have unpaid members who may get travel pay, and follow the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Secretary must also appoint a Provost at FSI (an SES-level official) to run and evaluate the Institute’s academic programs and help put course results into personnel records. Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, the Secretary must send Congress a strategy for updating training for 21st century diplomacy that ties training to promotion, addresses a list of security challenges (including democratic backsliding; state-sponsored disinformation and the Global Engagement Center; cyber threats; aggression and malign influence by Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the Maduro regime, and the Chinese Communist Party; climate change; and nuclear threats), studies residential A–100 training and a press freedom curriculum, and explores more external courses and use of existing training centers such as Blackstone, Virginia. That strategy report must also show how to implement the plan, needed resources, and how to measure effects on the workforce. The Secretary must brief the same committees within 1 year after the report and then annually for 2 years. The Secretary may set up a foreign language maintenance pay program like the Defense Department’s and must send Congress a detailed plan, including costs, not later than 90 days after December 23, 2022. "Appropriate committees of Congress" means the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Appropriations Committee.

Title 22, §2719a

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)Congress has recognized, including in division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117–81), that the Department is a crucial national security agency, whose employees, both Foreign Service and Civil Service, require the best possible training and professional development at every stage of their careers to prepare them to promote and defend United States national interests and the health and safety of United States citizens abroad; and

(2)the new and evolving challenges of national security in the 21st century necessitate the expansion of standardized training and professional development opportunities linked to equal, accountable, and transparent promotion and leadership practices for Department and other national security agency personnel.

(b)Defined term

In this section, the term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—

(1)the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

(2)the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

(3)the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and

(4)the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(c)Omitted

(d)Fellowships

The Director General of the Foreign Service shall—

(1)expand and establish new fellowship programs for Foreign Service and Civil Service officers that include short- and long-term opportunities at organizations, including—

(A)think tanks and nongovernmental organizations;

(B)the Department of Defense and other relevant Federal agencies;

(C)industry entities, especially such entities related to technology, global operations, finance, and other fields directly relevant to international affairs; and

(D)schools of international relations and other relevant programs at universities throughout the United States; and

(2)not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, submit a report to Congress that describes how the Department could expand the Pearson Fellows Program for Foreign Service Officers and the Brookings Fellow Program for Civil Servants to provide fellows in such programs with the opportunity to undertake a follow-on assignment within the Department in an office in which fellows will gain practical knowledge of the people and processes of Congress, including offices other than the Legislative Affairs Bureau, including—

(A)an assessment of the current state of congressional fellowships, including the demand for fellowships, support for applicants to pursue and perform such fellowships, and the value the fellowships provide to both the career of the officer and to the Department; and

(B)an assessment of the options for making congressional fellowships for both the Foreign Service and the Civil Service more career-enhancing.

(e)Board of Visitors of the Foreign Service Institute

(1)Establishment

The Secretary is authorized to establish a Board of Visitors of the Foreign Service Institute (referred to in this subsection as the “Board”). It is the sense of Congress that the Board should be established not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022.

(2)Duties

The Board authorized by this subsection shall be comprised of 12 members, who shall be appointed by the Secretary and shall provide the Secretary with independent advice and recommendations regarding organizational management, strategic planning, resource management, curriculum development, and other matters of interest to the Foreign Service Institute, including regular observations about how well the Department is integrating training and professional development into the work of the Bureau for Global Talent Management.

(3)Membership

(A)Qualifications

Members of the Board shall be appointed from among individuals who—

(i)are not officers or employees of the Federal Government; and

(ii)are eminent authorities in the fields of diplomacy, national security, management, leadership, economics, trade, technology, or advanced international relations education.

(B)Outside expertise

(i)In general

Not fewer than 6 members of the Board shall have a minimum of 10 years of relevant expertise outside the field of diplomacy.

(ii)Prior senior service at the Department

Not more than 6 members of the Board may be persons who previously served in the Senior Foreign Service or the Senior Executive Service at the Department.

(4)Terms

Each member of the Board shall be appointed for a term of 3 years, except that of the members first appointed—

(A)4 members shall be appointed for a term of 3 years;

(B)4 members shall be appointed for a term of 2 years; and

(5)Chairperson; Vice Chairperson

(A)Approval

The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Board shall be approved by the Secretary of State based upon a recommendation from the members of the Board.

(B)Service

The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall serve at the discretion of the Secretary.

(6)Meetings

The Board shall meet—

(A)at the call of the Director of the Foreign Service Institute and the Chairperson; and

(B)not fewer than 2 times per year.

(7)Compensation

Each member of the Board shall serve without compensation, except that a member of the Board shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of service for the Board. Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, the Secretary may accept the voluntary and uncompensated service of members of the Board.

(8)Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act

The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Board established under this subsection.

(f)Establishment of Provost of the Foreign Service Institute

(1)Establishment

There is established in the Foreign Service Institute the position of Provost.

(2)Appointment; reporting

The Provost shall—

(A)be appointed by the Secretary; and

(B)report to the Director of the Foreign Service Institute.

(3)Qualifications

The Provost, who should be a member of the Senior Executive Service, shall have—

(A)experience in the field of diplomacy, national security, education, management, leadership, economics, history, trade, adult education, or technology; and

(B)significant experience outside the Department, whether in other national security agencies or in the private sector, and preferably in positions of authority in educational institutions or the field of professional development and mid-career training with oversight for the evaluation of academic programs.

(4)Duties

The Provost shall—

(A)oversee, review, evaluate, and coordinate the academic curriculum for all courses taught and administered by the Foreign Service Institute; and

(B)coordinate the development of an evaluation system to ascertain the utility of the information and skills imparted by each such course, such that, to the extent practicable, performance assessments can be included in the personnel records maintained by the Bureau of Global Talent Management and utilized in Foreign Service Selection Boards.

(5)Compensation

The Provost shall receive a salary commensurate with the rank and experience of a member of the Senior Executive Service, as determined by the Secretary.

(g)Other Agency responsibilities and opportunities for congressional staff

(1)Other agencies

National security agencies other than the Department should be afforded the ability to increase the enrollment of their personnel in courses at the Foreign Service Institute and other training and professional development facilities of the Department to promote a whole-of-government approach to mitigating national security challenges.

(2)Congressional staff

Not later than 180 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that describes—

(A)the training and professional development opportunities at the Foreign Service Institute and other Department facilities available to congressional staff;

(B)the budget impacts of offering such opportunities to congressional staff; and

(C)potential course offerings.

(h)Strategy for adapting training requirements for modern diplomatic needs

(1)In general

Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall develop and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a strategy for adapting and evolving training requirements to better meet the Department’s current and future needs for 21st century diplomacy.

(2)Elements

The strategy required under paragraph (1) shall include the following elements:

(A)Integrating training requirements into the Department’s promotion policies, including establishing educational and professional development standards for training and attainment to be used as a part of tenure and promotion guidelines.

(B)Addressing multiple existing and emerging national security challenges, including—

(i)democratic backsliding and authoritarianism;

(ii)countering, and assisting United States allies to address, state-sponsored disinformation, including through the Global Engagement Center;

(iii)cyber threats;

(iv)the aggression and malign influence of Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the Maduro Regime, and the Chinese Communist Party’s multi-faceted and comprehensive challenge to the rules-based order;

(v)the implications of climate change for United States diplomacy; and

(vi)nuclear threats.

(C)An examination of the likely advantages and disadvantages of establishing residential training for the A–100 orientation course administered by the Foreign Service Institute and evaluating the feasibility of residential training for other long-term training opportunities.

(D)An examination of the likely advantages and disadvantages of establishing a press freedom curriculum for the National Foreign Affairs Training Center that enables Foreign Service officers to better understand issues of press freedom and the tools that are available to help protect journalists and promote freedom of the press norms, which may include—

(i)the historic and current issues facing press freedom, including countries of specific concern;

(ii)the Department’s role in promoting press freedom as an American value, a human rights issue, and a national security imperative;

(iii)ways to incorporate press freedom promotion into other aspects of diplomacy; and

(iv)existing tools to assist journalists in distress and methods for engaging foreign governments and institutions on behalf of individuals engaged in journalistic activity who are at risk of harm.

(E)The expansion of external courses offered by the Foreign Service Institute at academic institutions or professional associations on specific topics, including in-person and virtual courses on monitoring and evaluation, audience analysis, and the use of emerging technologies in diplomacy.

(3)Utilization of existing resources

In examining the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a residential training program pursuant to paragraph (2)(C), the Secretary shall—

(A)collaborate with other national security departments and agencies that employ residential training for their orientation courses; and

(B)consider using the Department’s Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Blackstone, Virginia.

(i)Report and briefing requirements

(1)Report

Not later than 1 year after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that includes—

(A)a strategy for broadening and deepening professional development and training at the Department, including assessing current and future needs for 21st century diplomacy;

(B)the process used and resources needed to implement the strategy referred to in subparagraph (A) throughout the Department; and

(C)the results and impact of the strategy on the workforce of the Department, particularly the relationship between professional development and training and promotions for Department personnel, and the measurement and evaluation methods used to evaluate such results.

(2)Briefing

Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary submits the report required under paragraph (1), and annually thereafter for 2 years, the Secretary shall provide to the appropriate committees of Congress a briefing on the information required to be included in the report.

(j)Foreign language maintenance incentive program

(1)Authorization

The Secretary is authorized to establish and implement an incentive program, with a similar structure as the Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus offered by the Department of Defense, to encourage members of the Foreign Service who possess language proficiency in any of the languages that qualify for additional incentive pay, as determined by the Secretary, to maintain critical foreign language skills.

(2)Report

Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that includes a detailed plan for implementing the program authorized under paragraph (1), including anticipated resource requirements to carry out such program.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), is div. E of Pub. L. 117–81, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2341, which is known as the Department of State Authorization Act of 2021. For complete classification of div. E to the Code, see Tables. The Federal Advisory Committee Act, referred to in subsec. (e)(8), is Pub. L. 92–463, Oct. 6, 1972, 86 Stat. 770, which was set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and was substantially repealed and restated in chapter 10 (§ 1001 et seq.) of Title 5 by Pub. L. 117–286, §§ 3(a), 7, Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4197, 4361. For disposition of sections of the Act into chapter 10 of Title 5, see Disposition Table preceding section 101 of Title 5. Codification Section is comprised of section 9205 of Pub. L. 117–263. Subsec. (c) of section 9205 of Pub. L. 117–263 amended section 2719b of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

References to Foreign Service Institute considered to refer to George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, see section 1(b) of Pub. L. 107–132, set out as a note under section 4021 of this title. Training Limitations Pub. L. 119–60, div. E, title II, § 5202, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 1591, provided that: “The Department [of State] shall require the approval of the Secretary [of State] for eliminations of long-term training assignments.” Definitions For definitions of “Department” and “Secretary” as used in this section, see section 9002 of Pub. L. 117–263, set out as a note under section 2651 of this title.

§2719a Foreign Affairs Training