REPORTS ON STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ACTIVITIES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

SEC. 1055. REPORTS ON STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ACTIVITIES OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.(a) Report by President.—(1) Initial report.—Not later than December 31, 2009, the President shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on a comprehensive interagency strategy for public diplomacy and strategic communication of the Federal Government, including benchmarks and a timetable for achieving such benchmarks.(2) Elements of report.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall include the following elements:(A) Strategy.—A comprehensive interagency strategy, which shall include the following:(i) Prioritizing the mission of supporting specific foreign policy objectives, such as counterterrorism and efforts to combat extremist ideology, in parallel and in complement with, as appropriate, the broad mission of communicating the policies and values of the United States to foreign audiences.(ii) Consolidating and elevating, as appropriate, Federal Government leadership to prioritize, manage, and implement the strategy required by this subsection, including consideration of whether to establish strategic communication and public diplomacy positions at the National Security Council and to establish a single office to coordinate strategic communication and public diplomacy efforts.(iii) Improving coordination across departments and agencies of the Federal Government on strategic communications and public diplomacy.(iv) Consideration of whether resources devoted to strategic communication and public diplomacy efforts should be increased.(B) Study.—A study of whether to establish an independent, not-for-profit organization responsible for providing independent assessment and strategic guidance to the Federal Government on strategic communication and public diplomacy, as recommended by the Task Force on Strategic Communication of the Defense Science Board.(C) Roles of departments or agencies of the federal government.—A description of the respective roles of the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State regarding strategic communication and public diplomacy, including—(i) a description of the roles of the offices within the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State engaged in message outreach to audiences abroad; and(ii) an explanation of how the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State coordinate strategic communication and public diplomacy activities.122 STAT. 4610(3) Subsequent report.—Two years after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1), the President shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on—(A) the status of the implementation of the strategy;(B) progress toward achievement of benchmarks; and(C) any changes to the strategy since the submission of the initial report.(b) Report by Secretary of Defense.—Not later than December 31, 2009, the Secretary of Defense shall review, and submit to the congressional defense committees a report on, the organizational structure within the Department of Defense for advising the Secretary on the direction and priorities for strategic communication activities, including an assessment of the option of establishing a board, composed of representatives from among the organizations within the Department responsible for strategic communications, public diplomacy, and public affairs, and including advisory members from the broader interagency community as appropriate, for purposes of—(1) providing strategic direction for Department of Defense efforts related to strategic communications and public diplomacy; and(2) setting priorities for the Department of Defense in the areas of strategic communications and public diplomacy.(c) Form and Availability of Reports.—(1) Form.—The reports required by this section may be submitted in a classified form.(2) Availability.—Any unclassified portions of the reports required by this section shall be made available to the public.(d) Appropriate Committees.—For the purposes of this section, the appropriate committees of Congress are the following:(1) The Committees on Foreign Relations, Armed Services, and Appropriations of the Senate.(2) The Committees on Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Appropriations of the House of Representatives.