§2669a. Diplomatic Telecommunications Service

(a) Diplomatic Telecommunications Service financial management

In fiscal year 1995 and each succeeding fiscal year-

(1) the Secretary of State shall provide funds for the operation of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service (DTS) in a sufficient amount to sustain the current level of support services being provided by the DTS, and no portion of such amount may be reprogrammed or transferred for any other purpose;

(2) all funds for the operation and enhancement of the DTS shall be directly available for use by the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS–PO); and

(3) the DTS–PO financial management officer shall be provided direct access to the Department of State financial management system to independently monitor and control the obligation and expenditure of all funds for the operation and enhancement of the DTS.

(b) DTS Policy Board

Within 60 days after August 26, 1994, the Secretary of State and the Director of the DTS–PO shall restructure the DTS Policy Board to provide for representation on the Board, during fiscal year 1995 and each succeeding fiscal year, by-

(1) the Director of the DTS–PO;

(2) the senior information management official from each agency currently serving on the Board;

(3) a senior career information management official from each of the Department of Commerce and the Defense Intelligence Agency; and

(4) a senior career information management official from each of 2 other Federal agencies served by the DTS, each of whom shall be appointed on a rotating basis by the Secretary of State and the Director of the DTS–PO for a 2-year term.

(c) DTS consolidation pilot program

(1) In general

The Secretary of State and the Director of the DTS–PO shall carry out a program under which total DTS consolidation will be completed before October 1, 1995, at not less than five embassies of medium to large size.

(2) Pilot program requirements

Under the program required in paragraph (1)-

(A) each participating embassy shall be provided with a full range of integrated information services, including message, data, and voice, without additional charge;

(B) a combined transmission facility shall be established and jointly operated, with open access to all unclassified transmission equipment;

(C) an unclassified packet switch communication system shall be installed and shall serve all foreign affairs agencies associated with the embassy;

(D) separate classified transmission systems (including MERCURY) shall be terminated; and

(E) all foreign affairs agency systems requiring international communications capability shall obtain such capability solely through the DTS.

(3) Pilot program report

Not later than January 15, 1996, the Secretary of State and the Director of the DTS–PO shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate a report describing the actions taken under the program required by this subsection. The report shall include a cost-benefit analysis for each embassy participating in the program.

(d) DTS planning report

Not later than January 15, 1995, the Secretary of State and the Director of the DTS–PO shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a DTS planning report. The report shall include-

(1) a detailed plan for carrying out the pilot program required by subsection (c) of this section, including an estimate of the funds required for such purpose; and

(2) a comprehensive DTS strategy plan that contains detailed plans and schedules for-

(A) an overall DTS network configuration and security strategy;

(B) transition of the existing dedicated circuits and classified transmission systems to the unclassified packet switch communications system;

(C) provision of a basic level of voice service for all DTS customers;

(D) funding of new initiatives and of replacement of current systems;

(E) combining existing DTS network control centers, relay facilities, and overseas operations; and

(F) reducing the extensive reliance of DTS–PO on the full-time services of contractors.

( Pub. L. 103–317, title V, §507, Aug. 26, 1994, 108 Stat. 1766 ; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. A, title XIII, §1335(m), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–789 .)

Amendments

1998-Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 105–277 struck out ", the United States Information Agency," after "Department of Commerce".

Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective Oct. 1, 1999, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an Effective Date note under section 6531 of this title.

Reform of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office

Pub. L. 106–113, div. B, §1000(a)(7) [div. A, title III, §305], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536 , 1501A-435, provided that:

"(a) Additional Resources.-In addition to other amounts authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service Program Office (DTS-PO), of the amounts made available to the Department of State under section 101(2) [113 Stat. 1501A–410], $18,000,000 shall be made available only to the DTS-PO for enhancement of Diplomatic Telecommunications Service capabilities.

"(b) Improvement of DTS-PO.-In order for the DTS-PO to better manage a fully integrated telecommunications network to service all agencies at diplomatic missions and consular posts, the DTS-PO shall-

"(1) ensure that those enhancements of, and the provision of service for, telecommunication capabilities that involve the national security interests of the United States receive the highest prioritization;

"(2) not later than December 31, 1999, terminate all leases for satellite systems located at posts in criteria countries, unless all maintenance and servicing of the satellite system is undertaken by United States citizens who have received appropriate security clearances;

"(3) institute a system of charges for utilization of bandwidth by each agency beginning October 1, 2000, and institute a comprehensive chargeback system to recover all, or substantially all, of the other costs of telecommunications services provided through the Diplomatic Telecommunications Service to each agency beginning October 1, 2001;

"(4) ensure that all DTS-PO policies and procedures comply with applicable policies established by the Overseas Security Policy Board; and

"(5) maintain the allocation of the positions of Director and Deputy Director of DTS-PO as those positions were assigned as of June 1, 1999, which assignments shall pertain through fiscal year 2001, at which time such assignments shall be adjusted in the customary manner.

"(c) Report on Improving Management.-Not later than March 31, 2000, the Director and Deputy Director of DTS-PO shall jointly submit to the Committee on International Relations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate the Director's plan for improving network architecture, engineering, operations monitoring and control, service metrics reporting, and service provisioning, so as to achieve highly secure, reliable, and robust communications capabilities that meet the needs of both national security agencies and other United States agencies with overseas personnel.

"(d) Funding of DTS-PO.-Funds appropriated for allocation to DTS-PO shall be made available only for DTS-PO until a comprehensive chargeback system is in place.

"(e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.-In this section, the term 'appropriate committees of Congress' means the Committee on International Relations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate."