The Foreign Service Journal, March 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2017 39 the private sector, OSAC is the U.S. government’s premier private-sector partnership institution to promote security cooperation and coordina- tion between the government and American private-sector interests worldwide. Based in Washington, D.C., and chaired by DS, OSAC has more than 4,500 constituents, including U.S. companies, educational institutions, faith-based institutions and nongovernmental organizations. It also operates 151 country councils around the world, five regional councils and seven sector-specific working groups. OSAC is well-established and highly regarded; its constituents share information and best practices to promote security for American companies and citizens living and working abroad. Both through its leadership within OSAC and its global network, DS is the federal agency best equipped to help Americans abroad prepare for and respond to current and emerging threats. Law Enforcement, Security and Military Coordination DS coordinates all U.S. law enforce- ment and security activities at such international events as the Olympics (including the Paralympics and Special Olympics) and the World Cup, and is the senior U.S. government security liaison to each host government. Senior DS agents are already actively planning for and coordinating U.S. government law enforcement and security support for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea and the 2018 World Cup in Russia. During each event, working alongside their local counterparts, DS agents and personnel protect U.S. athletes, VIP delegations and venues, and operate an in-country, 24/7, joint operations center for the interagency community. DOD recognizes law enforcement as an instrument of national power, and translates that support into action by maintaining embedded liaisons from fed- eral law enforcement agencies, including DS, at various combatant com- mand headquarters. Assigned to the office of the State Department’s political adviser to the combatant commander, DS liaison agents provide an important link to the global RSO network and, through them, to host-government law enforcement and security contacts with whom RSOs and their Locally Employed national investigators are closely tied. DS liaison agents are a much-valued law enforcement resource for our military colleagues. The timely insights RSOs share with combatant commands—through the DS liaison agents—have been critical in shaping and enabling military sup- port operations. Policy Development Another important measure of the emergence of law enforce- ment as an instrument of national power is the involvement of U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, including DS, in The bureau’s central mission is to foster a safe and secure environment for U.S. diplomatic activities. During a high-threat operations course in 2014, DSS special agents practice securing a helicopter landing site in the event embassy staff need to be swiftly evacuated. The 10-week course also prepares agents for a wide range of security situations affecting diplomacy in high-threat locations. DEPARTMENTOFSTATE