The Foreign Service Journal, February 2003

post and the bureau’s post management officer with the paperwork needed to process an evacuation request and will review the document for clearance before it is submitted to the under sec- retary for management. The CMS also convenes meetings of the interagency Washington Liaison Group, works with the Bureau of Administration to coordi- nate evacuation and transportation assis- tance and also serves as the point of con- tact with the Department of Defense for any military- assisted evacuation operations. CMS maintains the repository of up-to-date Emergency Action Plans and other crisis management materials, as well as the F-77 Report of Potential Evacuees from each post. These are the basic documents used in planning evacua- tions and preparing for other emergencies. Enter the Task Force Many evacuations are managed effectively at the bureau level, but when a crisis warrants round-the-clock attention from one or more bureaus and agencies, a crisis monitoring group or task force may be set up in the Ops Center. A monitoring group is set up for every shuttle launch, as a precaution should the rocket malfunction and send the payload spiraling off course — a potential diplo- matic incident if not a disaster. Natural disasters may also prompt establishment of a task force. The development of a tiered structure for the task forces has enhanced preparedness and flexibility. Depending on the nature and scope of the crisis and the level of impact on the resident official and private American communities, a smaller-scale monitoring group may be convened instead of a task force, which is general- ly reserved for a full-blown crisis necessitating the involve- ment of a number of different entities and requiring deci- sion-making by department principals. The Ops Center has three different task force rooms outfitted with computers and communications infrastruc- ture, in addition to secure-area meeting rooms. Should a crisis warrant additional task force workspace, the executive secretary can activate additional rooms. CMS works close- ly with task force directors and coordinators before and during the actual convening of a task force to provide them with the resources and support required to carry out their work — including training on the various roles of the task force members, use of computer and audio/visual equipment, production of the log and situation reports, and provid- ing resources such as the F-77 Reports, post emergency action plans, maps, etc. The task force, which is led by the regional bureau at the deputy assistant secretary or principal deputy assistant secretary level, serves as the fulcrum of information-gathering, supporting both department principals and the overseas mission, and providing regular situation reports to the sec- retary and department principals. Representatives from other bureaus and outside agencies are invited to partici- pate — long-term task forces often rely also on the service of retirees. Consular Affairs always participates, for there is always an American citizen component. When the pri- vate American citizen component of a crisis exceeds the capacity of the CA representative on the primary task force to manage, CA forms a separate consular task force in a dedicated task force room in the Ops Center. This set-up allows all stakeholders in the department’s response to a given crisis to communicate directly and continuously — a terrific enhancement to efficiency. Depending on the crisis, the Diplomatic Security, Public Affairs, Counterterrorism, Political-Military, and Medical Bureaus, the Family Liaison Office, the Peace Corps, and USAID are also frequent participants, each with a dedicated computer workstation at the task force table. If there are many casualties in a given situation, Human Resources’ Office of Overseas Casualty Assistance may also be at the table. Boosting Preparedness According to Valerie Crites, Deputy Director for Crisis Management, the 1985 Mexican earthquake was a turning point in the department’s approach to crisis management. Given the number of Americans resident in the region, the earthquake required a tremendous response by the department. The task force did not have adequate phones or computers to handle the quantity of calls and informa- tion coming in. The communication equipment was upgraded, and is now kept current as technology evolves. CMS puts great emphasis on training and the availabil- ity of information to enhance the department’s crisis response. Circulation of the Watch’s twice-daily products and CMS’s weekly report of potential crises, “CMS Is F O C U S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19 The task force set-up allows all stakeholders in the crisis response to communicate directly and continuously.