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Bureau of Export Development
PO Box 7970
Madison, WI 53707-7970
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Vol.
8 #5, May 2009
Additional Security Issues
U.S. 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 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:
Overseas Security Advisory Council
Bureau of Diplomatic Security
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20522-2008
phone: (571) 345-2223
FAX: (571) 345-2238
https://www.osac.gov
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