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Commerce Newsletter
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Additional Security Issues U.S. business people travel to points all over the world every day. Some of them reside for significant periods of time in other countries providing sales, training, service, or management functions. Most of those trips or assignments are completed without a hitch, but every now and then, crime or security issues can put a U.S. citizen abroad in danger. Business people can prepare themselves for international emergencies by becoming familiar with and making use of the services of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). This Federal Advisory Committee with a U.S. Government Charter promotes security cooperation between American business and private sector interests worldwide and the U.S. Department of State. In 1985, a handful of chief executive officers from prominent American companies met with then Secretary of State George P. Shultz to promote cooperation between the American private sector worldwide and the U.S. Government on security issues. Today over 3,500 U.S. companies, educational institutions, religious and non-governmental organizations are constituents of OSAC. The Council provides a forum for best practices and provides the tools needed to cope with today's ever-changing challenges and security-related issues abroad. OSAC's website (https://www.osac.gov) is the focal point for the exchange of unclassified information between the U.S. Department of State and the private sector on security-related incidents and threats overseas. Information accessible from the website includes Department of State Travel Warnings and Public Announcements; daily security-related news articles; overseas reports on security and crime incidents; terrorist group profiles; timely presentations on current terrorist attacks and other incidents; general crime information for cities and countries; locations and contacts at U.S. posts overseas; and updates on new or unusual situations. The OSAC website recently expanded to include cyber threat information, critical incident reporting, and specific traveler information. The critical incident reporting section has been enhanced to become more interactive for constituents to post incidents and query the database. The OSAC website is an encrypted site, which requires a password. There are currently over 100 OSAC country councils operating in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Western Hemisphere that address the issues specific to their location. Country councils provide participants the latest security related information, educational seminars, and organization when confronting today's security threats. An additional 20 cities are in various stages of developing and establishing their own country council. OSAC constituents are eligible to enroll in the Foreign Service Institute's Private Sector Security Overseas Seminar, a highly acclaimed two-day security awareness primer. The seminar takes place at the Department of State's state-of-the-art National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. The course covers travel, home and personal security, fire and environmental hazards, kidnap avoidance, cross cultural competence, weapons of mass destruction, current threat trends, and crisis management. The focus is on getting participants to identify security risks and develop strategies for dealing with them. For more information, contact:
-- Stanley Pfrang |
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