The 2017 OSAC Annual Briefing will take place from November 15-16, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, in Arlington, Virginia. This is the 32nd annual meeting and will include more than 1,500 public and private sector security professionals from U.S. business, academia, faith-based institutions, non-governmental organizations and the federal government.

This year’s theme, “Coping with Chaos in an Unpredictable World” will focus the conversation on challenges the American private sector faces overseas. For two days, attendees will meet and share the latest information to promote security cooperation between American private sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State – ultimately, keeping American businesses and people safe in today’s chaotic world.

Media are invited to attend the opening session November 15th from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. This portion will also be streamed live at www.state.gov/osac2017.

A keynote address will be delivered by Admiral Michael S. Rogers, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and Director, National Security Agency. Michael T. Evanoff, Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security at the U.S. Department of State will provide opening remarks.

Michelle Bernier-Toth, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) will preview improvements to consular safety and security information, highlighting the strong relationship between OSAC and CA.

Other presenters include Christian J. Schurman, Acting Director for the Diplomatic Security Service, and OSAC’s Executive Director Thomas G. Scanlon.

For additional information about OSAC, visit: 

https://www.osac.gov

For additional information about the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), visit: http://www.state.gov/m/ds/.

For additional information about the Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA), visit: https://travel.state.gov/.

Follow OSAC on Twitter @OSACState for updates on OSAC’s 32nd Annual Brief.

Follow DSS on Twitter @StateDeptDSS and Facebook @StateDeptDSS.

Follow CA on Twitter @TravelGov and Facebook @TravelGov

For additional information or interview requests, please contact Aaron Testa at TestaAM@state.gov or (571) 345-2504.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The United States and China convened their second nuclear smuggling consultation on November 9th in Shanghai to reaffirm their joint commitment and continued resolve to counter the threat of nuclear terrorism. The consultation was the culmination of a weeklong engagement, beginning with a tour highlighting the operations of the radiation detection system at the Port of Yangshan and a scenario-based policy discussion focused on U.S. and Chinese response to a fictional smuggling scenario.

During the meeting, U.S. and Chinese experts from their respective diplomatic, policy, law enforcement, and technical communities exchanged views on the threat of nuclear smuggling and explored opportunities for the two sides to work together to address this challenge. At the conclusion of the dialogue, both sides agreed to enhance their cooperation to promote international best practices and build capabilities to counter nuclear smuggling.

Chaired this year by U.S. Department of State’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation Programs, Philip Dolliff, and Deputy Director General of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Arms Control Department, Ms. Dong Zhihua, this meeting reflected the importance that both countries place on securing nuclear and other radioactive materials, and countering the smuggling of such materials and demonstrated their commitment to international nuclear security.

For further information, please contact Maria Dudding at ISNPressQueries@state.gov or visit www.state.gov/t/isn, Twitter @StateISN and Facebook @StateDepartment.ISNBureau

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

U.S. and Qatari officials met in Washington, DC on November 8 for the first U.S.-Qatari counterterrorism dialogue.

U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Nathan A. Sales led the U.S delegation, which included officials from the Departments of State, Homeland Security, Justice, and Treasury. The 11-member Qatari delegation was led by Major General Abdul Aziz al-Ansari, Chairman of Qatar’s National Counter Terrorism Committee, and included Dr. Mutlaq al-Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Counterterrorism and Conflict Mediation, and officials from the Ministry of Interior, the State Security Bureau, and the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Finance Committee.

The delegations reviewed Qatar’s positive progress in implementing the U.S.-Qatar counterterrorism Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in Doha on July 11 by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohamed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The MOU laid out our mutual commitments for increasing information sharing, disrupting terrorism financing flows, and intensifying counterterrorism activities. During the dialogue, both sides affirmed the progress made to date on implementing the MOU and committed to expanding our counterterrorism partnership. Topics discussed included regional terrorist threats, counterterrorism financing, regulation of the charitable sector, information sharing, and aviation security.

Building on this progress, the United States and Qatar will deepen their counterterrorism cooperation further, as exemplified by the recent visits to Doha of Secretary of State Tillerson (October 22-23) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (October 29-30). Both visits served to underscore the broad, robust ties between Qatar and the United States, especially in reaffirming the two countries’ joint efforts to defeat terrorism.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

As described in the FY 2018 Report to Congress on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the U.S. government is ending the Central American Minors (CAM) refugee program in FY 2018.

The CAM refugee program became effective on December 1, 2014, and allowed certain parents lawfully present in the United States to request a refugee resettlement interview for their children and eligible family members who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

The decision to end the CAM refugee program was made as part of the overall U.S. government review of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for FY 2018.

The Department of State will not accept any new applications to the CAM refugee program after 11:59pm EST, November 9.

The Resettlement Support Centers in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will continue to pre-screen applicants who file by the November 9 deadline. All requirements, such as DNA testing, security checks, and medical examinations remain the same.

For further information, please contact PRMPress@state.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The United States is concerned by persistent flaws in the Nicaraguan democratic process, as illustrated by the November 5 municipal elections. Although voting itself was calm, we condemn the post-electoral violence, lament the loss of life, and call for an investigation that brings those responsible to justice. We are seriously troubled by credible reports of irregularities throughout this electoral process.

The presence of an Organization of American States (OAS) electoral observation mission provided much-needed transparency, and the United States concurs with its recommendations focused on strengthening balance within the political party system, improving the selection of election councils at all levels, establishing an adequate legal framework for civil society, and promoting broad and inclusive domestic electoral observation.

The United States continues to advocate for the strengthening of democratic institutions, a separation of powers, and a free and fair electoral process in Nicaragua.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.