Stabilization and Reconstruction Integration Act of 2013
A BILL
To establish the United States Office for Contingency Operations, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act, the following definitions apply:
Appropriate congressional committees— The term appropriate congressional committees means—
the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and
the Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
Director— The term Director means the Director of the United States Office for Contingency Operations.
Functions— The term functions includes authorities, powers, rights, privileges, immunities, programs, projects, activities, duties, and responsibilities.
Imminent stabilization and reconstruction operation— The term imminent stabilization and reconstruction operation means a condition in a foreign country which the Director believes may require in the immediate future a response from the United States and with respect to which preparation for a stabilization and reconstruction operation is necessary.
Intelligence community— The term intelligence community has the meaning given such term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
Office— The term Office means the United States Office for Contingency Operations.
Personnel— The term personnel means officers and employees of an executive agency, except that such term does not include members of the Armed Forces.
Stabilization and reconstruction emergency— The term stabilization and reconstruction emergency is a stabilization and reconstruction operation which is the subject of a Presidential declaration pursuant to section 102.
Stabilization and reconstruction operation— The term stabilization and reconstruction operation—
means a circumstance in which a combination of security, reconstruction, relief, and development services, including assistance for the development of military and security forces and the provision of infrastructure and essential services (including services that might be provided under the authority of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.; relating to the Economic Support Fund)), should, in the national interest of the United States, be provided on the territory of an unstable foreign country;
does not include a circumstance in which such services should be provided primarily due to a natural disaster; and
does not include intelligence activities.
Covered contract— The term covered contract means a contract entered into by any Federal department or agency with any public or private sector entity in any geographic area with regard to a stabilization or reconstruction operation or where the Inspector General of the United States Office for Contingency Operations is exercising its special audit or investigative authority for the performance of any of the following:
To build or rebuild physical infrastructure of such area.
To establish or reestablish a political or governmental institution of such area.
To provide products or services to the local population of such area.
United States— The term United States, when used in a geographic sense, means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, any possession of the United States, and any waters within the jurisdiction of the United States.
Sec. 3 Findings and purposes
Findings— Congress finds the following:
Responsibilities for overseas stability and reconstruction operations are divided among several Federal agencies. As a result, lines of responsibility and accountability are not well-defined.
Despite the establishment of the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization within the Department of State, the reaffirmation of the Coordinator’s mandate by the National Security Presidential Directive 44, its codification in title XVI of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417), the issuance of the Department of Defense Directive 3000.05, and the creation of the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization by the Department of State, serious imbalances and insufficient interagency coordination remain.
The United States has not effectively or efficiently managed stabilization and reconstruction operations during recent decades.
Based on recent history, the United States will likely continue to find its involvement necessary in stabilization and reconstruction operations in foreign countries in the wake of violence.
The United States has not adequately applied the lessons of its recent experiences in stabilization and reconstruction operations, and despite efforts to improve its performance is not yet organized institutionally to respond appropriately to the need to perform stabilization and reconstruction operations in foreign countries.
The failure to implement the lessons learned of past stabilization and reconstruction operations will lead to further inefficiencies, resulting in greater human and financial costs.
Purposes— The purposes of this Act are to—
protect the national security interests of the United States by providing an effective means to plan for and execute stabilization and reconstruction operations in foreign countries;
provide for unity of command, and thus achieve unity of effort, in the planning and execution of stabilization and reconstruction operations;
provide accountability for resources dedicated to stabilization and reconstruction operations;
maximize the efficient use of resources, which would lead to budget savings, eliminated redundancy in functions, and improvement in the management of stabilization and reconstruction operations; and
establish an entity to plan for stabilization and reconstruction operations across relevant Federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the United States Agency for International Development, and, when directed by the President, coordinate and execute such operations, eventually returning responsibility for such operations to other Federal departments and agencies of the United States Government as the situation at issue becomes normalized.
Sec. 4 Effective date
This Act shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.