04 August 1999
(FY1999 Supplemental funded security improvements) (730) (This Fact Sheet was released by the State Department on August 4.) (begin Fact Sheet) U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman August 4, 1999 Fact Sheet Funding for Embassy Security FY 1999 Security Supplemental The Department received an FY 1999 security supplemental appropriation of $1.489 billion for security following the bombings of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The supplemental provided funding for the following: -- Creating temporary embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam while designing and building replacement embassies ($200 million); -- Providing all posts with enhanced security equipment packages ($650 million); -- Expanding local guard coverage at facility perimeters ($186 million); -- Hiring additional personnel to provide security expertise at more posts and implement these measures ($75 million); -- Upgrading emergency radio communications to all posts ($123 million); -- Temporarily relocating, upgrading, or constructing new facilities at posts identified as the highest priority ($185 million); --Increasing anti- and counter-terrorism activities ($20 million); and -- Providing some humanitarian assistance to Kenya and Tanzania ($50 million). FY 2000 Budget Request The emergency supplemental provided the Department with an initial infusion of greatly needed resources. Many of the security enhancements we are undertaking with the FY 1999 Emergency Security Supplemental funds are not one-time in nature - we are hiring additional security professionals, increasing local guard coverage, and incurring support costs for these new personnel (e.g., leasing residences overseas). They are creating a recurring cost that must be accommodated into the outyears. Our FY 2000 budget request includes $268 million of such costs. This "annualization" will grow to over $300 million in FY 2001. In addition, the FY 1999 Supplemental did not accommodate all of our long-term needs. The $1.499 billion was just a start to what is a long-term requirement to construct safe facilities overseas and to protect U.S. Government employees and their families. The President's FY 2000 budget requested an additional $36 million for the design of new facilities in eight of our highest threat posts, as well as the acquisition of appropriate land in two of these posts. The President's budget also requested an advance appropriation of $3 billion for FYs 2001-2005 ($300 million in FY 2001 and increasing by $150 million per year to $900 million in FY 2005) for site acquisition, design, and construction of additional secure facilities overseas. Four new facilities would be constructed in FY 2001, for example, using the designs funded from the emergency security supplemental in FY 1999. A lack of setback at a number of facilities (100 feet is the standard) will require us to buy adjacent land, work with local authorities to close streets, or to relocate facilities. This will be a major undertaking since 229 of our 260 posts lack the 100-foot setback. (Note: 29 embassies and 2 consulates have the 100-foot setback.) FY 2000 Budget Amendment On June 8, the President submitted an FY 2000 budget amendment which included an additional $264 million for the overseas facility construction. This will allow us to construct four new diplomatic facilities and will allow for the design and purchase of up to eight additional posts. A proposal was also made by the President to increase, by $150 million per year, the request for advance appropriations for embassy construction in FYs 2001 to 2004, or $600 million more than the previous advance appropriation request. (This is approximately the same funding level recommended by Admiral Crowe and the Accountability Review Boards.) Congressional Action To Date Both House and Senate authorization bills provide sufficient funding to meet both our operating and capital investment security requirements for FY 2000; in fact, both bodies authorized far more than the request for the capital construction. The House Appropriations Committee marked up-the Commerce-Justice-State (CJS) appropriations bill on July 30, 1999. It would fully fund the President's FY 2000 request (initial request plus the amendment) but not the $3.6 billion advance appropriation (FYs 2001-2005). The Senate CJS appropriations bill is less favorable on the capital construction side because the budget amendment was received after initial mark-up. We intend to work aggressively through our legislative staff, OMB, and the White House to ensure that our security resource requirements are met, and that they are not funded at the expense of other international affairs operations and programs. (end Fact Sheet)