§ 2931. Office of the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism

(a) Establishment

There is established within the Executive Office of the President an office to be known as the “Office of the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism” (in this section referred to as the “Office”).

(b) Officers

(1) United States Coordinator

The head of the Office shall be the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (in this section referred to as the “Coordinator”).

(2) Deputy United States Coordinator

There shall be a Deputy United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (in this section referred to as the “Deputy Coordinator”), who shall—

(A) assist the Coordinator in carrying out the responsibilities of the Coordinator under this subchapter; and

(B) serve as Acting Coordinator in the absence of the Coordinator and during any vacancy in the office of Coordinator.

(3) Appointment

The Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall be responsible on a full-time basis for the duties and responsibilities described in this section.

(4) Limitation

No person shall serve as Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator while serving in any other position in the Federal Government.

(5) Access by Congress

The establishment of the Office of the Coordinator within the Executive Office of the President shall not be construed as affecting access by the Congress or committees of either House to—

(A) information, documents, and studies in the possession of, or conducted by or at the direction of, the Coordinator; or

(B) personnel of the Office of the Coordinator.

The responsibilities of the Coordinator shall include the following:

(1) Serving as the principal advisor to the President on all matters relating to the prevention of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation and terrorism.

(2) Formulating a comprehensive and well-coordinated United States strategy and policies for preventing WMD proliferation and terrorism, including—

(A) measurable milestones and targets to which departments and agencies can be held accountable;

(B) identification of gaps, duplication, and other inefficiencies in existing activities, initiatives, and programs and the steps necessary to overcome these obstacles;

(C) plans for preserving the nuclear security investment the United States has made in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and other countries;

(D) prioritized plans to accelerate, strengthen, and expand the scope of existing initiatives and programs, which include identification of vulnerable sites and material and the corresponding actions necessary to eliminate such vulnerabilities;

(E) new and innovative initiatives and programs to address emerging challenges and strengthen United States capabilities, including programs to attract and retain top scientists and engineers and strengthen the capabilities of United States national laboratories;

(F) plans to coordinate United States activities, initiatives, and programs relating to the prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, including those of the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security, and including the Proliferation Security Initiative, the G–8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540, and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism;

(G) plans to strengthen United States commitments to international regimes and significantly improve cooperation with other countries relating to the prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, with particular emphasis on work with the international community to develop laws and an international legal regime with universal jurisdiction to enable any state in the world to interdict and prosecute smugglers of WMD material, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission; and

(H) identification of actions necessary to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism established under subtitle E of this title.^[1]

(3) Leading inter-agency coordination of United States efforts to implement the strategy and policies described in this section.

(4) Conducting oversight and evaluation of accelerated and strengthened implementation of initiatives and programs to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism by relevant government departments and agencies.

(5) Overseeing the development of a comprehensive and coordinated budget for programs and initiatives to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism, ensuring that such budget adequately reflects the priority of the challenges and is effectively executed, and carrying out other appropriate budgetary authorities.

(d) Staff

The Coordinator may—

(1) appoint, employ, fix compensation, and terminate such personnel as may be necessary to enable the Coordinator to perform his or her duties under this chapter;

(2) direct, with the concurrence of the Secretary of a department or head of an agency, the temporary reassignment within the Federal Government of personnel employed by such department or agency, in order to implement United States policy with regard to the prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism;

(3) use for administrative purposes, on a reimbursable basis, the available services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of Federal, State, and local agencies;

(4) procure the services of experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, relating to appointments in the Federal Service, at rates of compensation for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the rate of pay payable for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5; and

(5) use the mails in the same manner as any other department or agency of the executive branch.

(e) Consultation with Commission

The Office and the Coordinator shall regularly consult with and strive to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, established under subtitle E of this title.^[1]

(f) Annual report on strategic plan

For fiscal year 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Coordinator shall submit to Congress, at the same time as the submission of the budget for that fiscal year under title 31, a report on the strategy and policies developed pursuant to subsection (c)(2), together with any recommendations of the Coordinator for legislative changes that the Coordinator considers appropriate with respect to such strategy and policies and their implementation or the Office of the Coordinator.

[1] See References in Text note below.

U.S. Code

§ 2931. Office of the United States Coordinator for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism