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Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Chapter 52 — Foreign Service

§ 3922b. Public diplomacy training

Statutory text

(a)

Statement of policy

The following should be the policy of the United States:

(1)

The Foreign Service should recruit individuals with expertise and professional experience in public diplomacy.

(2)

United States chiefs of mission should have a prominent role in the formulation of public diplomacy strategies for the countries and regions to which they are assigned and should be accountable for the operation and success of public diplomacy efforts at their posts.

(3)

Initial and subsequent training of Foreign Service officers should be enhanced to include information and training on public diplomacy and the tools and technology of mass communication.

(b)

Personnel

(1)

Qualifications

In the recruitment, training, and assignment of members of the Foreign Service, the Secretary of State—

(A)

should emphasize the importance of public diplomacy and applicable skills and techniques;

(B)

should consider the priority recruitment into the Foreign Service, including at middle-level entry, of individuals with expertise and professional experience in public diplomacy, mass communications, or journalism; and

(C)

shall give special consideration to individuals with language facility and experience in particular countries and regions.

(2)

Languages of special interest

The Secretary of State shall seek to increase the number of Foreign Service officers proficient in languages spoken in countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Such increase should be accomplished through the recruitment of new officers and incentives for officers in service.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. 9/11 Commission Implementation Act of 2004

    Pub. L. 108–458 title VII § 7110 · 118 Stat. 3638

    Enacted · 22 U.S.C. § 3922b

    (Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, § 7110, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3793.)

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    (Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, § 7110, Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3793.)

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    SEC. 7110. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TRAINING. (a) Statement of Policy.— The following should be the policy of the United States: (1) The Foreign Service should recruit individuals with expertise and professional experience in public diplomacy. (2) United States chiefs of mission should have a prominent role in the formulation of public diplomacy strategies for the countries and regions to which they are assigned and should be accountable for the operation and success of public diplomacy efforts at their posts. (3) Initial and subsequent training of Foreign Service officers should be enhanced to include information and training on public diplomacy and the tools and technology of mass communication. (b) Personnel.— (1) Qualifications.— In the recruitment, training, and assignment of members of the Foreign Service, the Secretary of State— (A) should emphasize the importance of public diplomacy and applicable skills and techniques; (B) should consider the priority recruitment into the Foreign Service, including at middle-level entry, of individuals with expertise and professional experience in public diplomacy, mass communications, or journalism; and (C) shall give special consideration to individuals with language facility and experience in particular countries and regions. (2) Languages of special interest.— The Secretary of State shall seek to increase the number of Foreign Service officers proficient in languages spoken in countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Such increase should be accomplished through the recruitment of new officers and incentives for officers in service. (c) Public Diplomacy Suggested for Promotion in Foreign Service.— Section 603(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4003(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following: “The precepts for selection boards shall include, whether the member of the Service or the member of the Senior Foreign Service, as the case may be, has demonstrated— (1) a willingness and ability to explain United States policies in person and through the media when occupying positions for which such willingness and ability is, to any degree, an element of the member’s duties, or (2) other experience in public diplomacy.

1 of 1 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Editorial Notes

Codification

Section is comprised of section 7110 of Pub. L. 108–458. Subsec. (c) of section 7110 of Pub. L. 108–458 amended section 4003 of this title.

Section was enacted as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and also as part of the 9/11 Commission Implementation Act of 2004, and not as part of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 which comprises this chapter.

Credits

(Pub. L. 108–458, title VII, § 7110, , 118 Stat. 3793.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc22.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t22/s3922b