1 FAM 470
BUREAU OF CONFLICT AND STABILIZATION OPERATIONS (CSO)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
(Office of Origin: CSO)
1 FAM 471 ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CONFLICT AND STABILIZATION OPERATIONS
1 FAM 471.1 Responsibilities
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
The Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations:
(1) Is the Secretary of State’s senior advisor on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(2) Leads the formulation and implementation of U.S. conflict prevention and stabilization strategies, policies, and programs, including implementation of the Global Fragility Act, under the overall direction of and in coordination with the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights;
(3) Advances conflict prevention and stabilization analysis, programming, and operations in coordination with relevant Department bureaus and other agencies;
(4) Works with other U.S. Government agencies to strengthen U.S. Government analysis, planning, and response activities related to violence prevention, atrocity early warning, and the peaceful resolution of conflict;
(5) In coordination with the Bureau of Legislative Affairs (H) and relevant regional and functional bureaus, engages with the U.S. Congress, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foreign governments, international/regional organizations, the private sector, and the public on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(6) Leads the formulation and implementation of atrocity prevention policies and strategies, serving as the Department’s senior representative in interagency atrocity prevention coordination bodies and ensuring efforts are coordinated with other relevant regional and functional bureaus notably the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Office of Global Criminal Justice;
(7) Supervises the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and the politically appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary;
(8) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 471.2 Organization
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
An organization chart for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations is found in 1 FAM Exhibit 471.2.
1 FAM 471.3 Authorities
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
Authorities for this subchapter include:
(1) Department of State Basic Authorities Act of 1956, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)), providing general authority for the appointment of Assistant Secretaries;
(2) Delegation of Authority 293-2, dated October 23, 2011, regarding the authorities of Assistant Secretaries;
(3) Public Law 110-417, Title XVI—Reconstruction and Stabilization Civilian Management;
(4) Other authorities, as appropriate.
1 FAM 472 DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARIES
1 FAM 472.1 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary:
(1) Performs the duties of the Assistant Secretary in the absence of the Assistant Secretary;
(2) Advises the Assistant Secretary on policy formulation, strategic and operational planning, and program implementation, as applied to CSO’s areas of expertise;
(3) Exercises lead oversight and management responsibility for the bureau’s conflict prevention and stabilization operations;
(4) Maintains close working relationships with the leadership of the Department’s regional and functional bureaus, identifying suitable opportunities for CSO to help bureaus and chiefs of mission deal with conflict prevention, response, and stabilization;
(5) Works closely with the Department’s functional bureaus as well as USAID, the Department of Defense, and other departments and agencies to ensure integrated operations;
(6) In coordination with H and relevant regional and functional bureaus, engages with the U.S. Congress, NGOs, foreign governments, international/regional organizations, the private sector, and the public on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(7) Supervises the career Deputy Assistant Secretary; the CSO Executive Director; the Director of the Office of Communications, Policy, and Partnerships (CSO/CPP); and the Director of the Office of Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (CSO/DME), unless otherwise determined;
(8) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 472.2 Deputy Assistant Secretaries
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
In addition to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, CSO has two Deputy Assistant Secretaries who perform the following functions:
(1) At the Assistant Secretary’s direction, provide advice on U.S. strategy, policy, and programs related to conflict prevention and stabilization and assess and evaluate developments in these areas as they relate to U.S. foreign policy interests;
(2) Coordinate policy with other U.S. government departments and agencies and provide policy guidance to regional bureaus and embassies abroad;
(3) In coordination with H and relevant regional and functional bureaus, engage with the U.S. Congress, NGOs, foreign governments, international/regional organizations, the private sector, and the public on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(4) Set program goals and objectives and monitor and direct the use of staff and other resources to achieve bureau priorities;
(5) As designated by the Assistant Secretary, participate in negotiations and implementation efforts in areas of responsibility in coordination with relevant regional and functional bureaus and interagency counterparts, meetings of multilateral organizations, bilateral commissions, engagements with foreign governments, and relevant international meetings;
(6) Supervise offices and individuals as assigned by the Assistant Secretary;
(7) Perform other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473 BUREAU OFFICES
1 FAM 473.1 Office of Communications, Policy, and Partnerships (CSO/CPP)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/CPP reports to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions:
(1) Conducts public affairs and social media outreach to increase support for and awareness of conflict prevention and stabilization efforts;
(2) Coordinates, develops, and implements strategic initiatives in response to Administration policies, Congressional mandates, and bureau priorities;
(3) Leads and coordinates with the interagency on bureau-wide policy efforts, including implementation of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act; conflict prevention and stabilization initiatives; and women, peace, and security;
(4) Partners with foreign governments and multilateral organizations to enhance burden sharing, garner support for policy initiatives, and share best practices on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(5) Enhances Congressional understanding of CSO’s mission through briefings, hearings, and reports; manages the bureau’s relationship with H and Congressional oversight committees; and participates in developing and implementing strategies to obtain funding and authorities from Congress;
(6) Develops and maintains strategic relationships with academic institutions, NGOs, think tanks, and the private sector to increase access to data and research and build momentum around conflict prevention and stabilization goals;
(7) Coordinates with the Department of Defense and USAID to develop and maintain interagency civilian-military capabilities to advance conflict prevention and stabilization policy, planning, and operations at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels via doctrine, training, education, and exercises;
(8) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.2 Office of the Executive Director (CSO/EX)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/EX reports to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions:
(1) Provides financial management and budget support for all CSO operational and programmatic resources;
(2) Provides domestic administrative management and support activities for CSO, including administrative policy development, human resources management and services, information systems management, procurement, property management, travel, logistics, security, management analysis and evaluation, and contracting;
(3) Serves as CSO’s internal controls manager, establishing internal management controls and conducting periodic vulnerability assessments;
(4) In coordination with CSO/DME and CSO/CPP, assists with the compilation, drafting, and submission of budget planning documents; and
(5) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.3 Office of Near Eastern Affairs (CSO/NEA)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/NEA reports to a Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions for the countries and region covered by the Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs:
(1) Provides regional and country-specific expertise in conflict analysis and planning; supports and advocates for U.S. policy goals and objectives, as well as CSO priorities; and supports senior-level CSO engagements with the regional bureau and relevant functional bureaus, USAID, the Department of Defense and Geographic Combatant Commands, the National Security Council, and diplomatic posts regarding the objectives and design of country-specific programs and initiatives;
(2) Facilitates the design, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of regional and country-specific programs and initiatives to address conflict and stabilization challenges in coordination with relevant functional bureaus and on the basis of requirements identified by the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and/or the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and requests from the regional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners;
(3) Based on the analysis, subject matter expertise, and learning provided by other CSO offices, determines staffing requirements for CSO regional initiatives in conflict prevention, response, and stabilization in coordination with the relevant regional and functional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners, where appropriate;
(4) Plays a leading role in planning, developing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring critical initiatives consistent with Department and bureau support of U.S. policy goals for the region and specific relevant countries, supporting CSO’s thematic focus and serving as CSO’s primary liaison to the regional bureau;
(5) Provides guidance to and coordinates support for deployed CSO employees;
(6) Based on standards and methods devised and provided by CSO/DME, ensures accountability by measuring the progress and effectiveness of deployed teams against specific goals set at the beginning of deployment and other appropriate measures and makes course corrections where necessary;
(7) Implements and performs oversight with respect to foreign assistance program funds allocated to CSO;
(8) Manages in-country CSO operations; and
(9) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.4 Office of Western Hemisphere and European Affairs (CSO/WHA-EUR)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/WHA-EUR reports to a Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions for the countries and region covered by the Department’s Bureaus of Western Hemisphere Affairs and European and Eurasian Affairs:
(1) Provides regional and country-specific expertise in conflict analysis and planning; supports and advocates for U.S. policy goals and objectives, as well as CSO priorities; and supports senior-level CSO engagement with the regional and relevant functional bureaus, USAID, the Department of Defense and Geographic Combatant Commands, the National Security Council, and diplomatic posts regarding the objectives and design of country-specific programs and initiatives;
(2) Facilitates the design, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of regional and country strategies and country-specific programs and initiatives to address conflict and stabilization challenges in coordination with relevant functional bureaus and on the basis of requirements identified by the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and/or the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and requests from the regional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners;
(3) Based on the analysis, subject matter expertise, and learning provided by other CSO offices, determines staffing requirements for CSO regional initiatives in conflict prevention, response, and stabilization in coordination with the relevant regional and functional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners, where appropriate;
(4) Plays a leading role in planning, developing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring critical initiatives consistent with Department and bureau support of U.S. policy goals for the region and specific countries, supporting CSO’s thematic focus and serving as CSO’s primary liaison to the regional bureaus;
(5) Provides guidance to and coordinates support for deployed CSO employees;
(6) Based on standards and methods devised and provided by CSO/DME, ensures accountability by measuring the progress and effectiveness of deployed teams against specific goals set at the beginning of deployment and other appropriate measures and makes course corrections where necessary;
(7) Implements and performs oversight with respect to foreign assistance program funds allocated to CSO;
(8) Manages in-country CSO operation;
(9) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.5 Office of Advanced Analytics (CSO/AA)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/AA reports to a Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions:
(1) Harnesses data analytics to enhance agile foreign policy decision-making on issues related to conflict prevention and stabilization;
(2) Develops and applies analytic and early warning tools in accordance with policy and national security priorities to forecast violent conflict and potential atrocities against vulnerable groups;
(3) Develops advanced analytic standards, methodologies, data, and tools to help CSO and its partners better understand conflict dynamics and potential prevention and mitigation strategies;
(4) Conducts deep-dive analyses of conflict dynamics to inform U.S. policy and programs and collaborates with other analytics offices and bureaus in the Department and the interagency to develop and apply quantifiable metrics to measure program impact tied to policy outcomes;
(5) Applies analytic findings to identify courses of action at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels and leverages conflict and stabilization knowledge and advanced technologies to rapidly identify key actors, information gaps, and windows of opportunity and effectively deliver CSO conflict and stabilization messages;
(6) Disseminates analytic products (maps, forecasting indexes, negotiations modeling, deep dive analyses, and conflict story boards) to relevant stakeholders in the Department; the Department of Defense, USAID, or other interagency counterparts; and Congress;
(7) Collaborates and coordinates with the Department of Defense on conflict prevention and stabilization research and analysis at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels in support of non-kinetic stabilization operations;
(8) Provides analytical support to the Department and the interagency in anticipation of and response to acute crises;
(9) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.6 Office of African Affairs (CSO/AF)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/AF reports to a Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions for the countries and region covered by the Department’s Bureau of African Affairs:
(1) Provides regional and country-specific expertise in conflict analysis and planning; supports and advocates for U.S. policy goals and objectives, as well as CSO priorities; and supports senior-level CSO engagement with the regional and relevant functional bureaus, USAID, the Department of Defense and Geographic Combatant Commands, the National Security Council, and diplomatic posts regarding the objectives and design of country-specific programs and initiatives;
(2) Facilitates the design, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of regional and country strategies and country-specific programs and initiatives to address conflict and stabilization challenges in coordination with relevant functional bureaus and on the basis of requirements identified by the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and/or the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and requests from the regional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners;
(3) Based on the analysis, subject matter expertise, and learning provided by other CSO offices, determines staffing requirements for CSO regional initiatives in conflict prevention, response, and stabilization in coordination with the relevant regional and functional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners, where appropriate;
(4) Plays a leading role in planning, developing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring critical initiatives consistent with Department and bureau support of U.S. policy goals for the region and specific countries, supporting CSO’s thematic focus and serving as CSO’s primary liaison to the regional bureau;
(5) Provides guidance to and coordinates support for deployed CSO employees;
(6) Based on standards and methods devised and provided by CSO/DME, ensures accountability by measuring the progress and effectiveness of deployed teams against specific goals set at the beginning of deployment and other appropriate measures and makes course corrections where necessary;
(7) Implements and performs oversight with respect to foreign assistance program funds allocated to CSO;
(8) Manages in-country CSO operations; and
(9) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM 473.7 Office of East Asian and Pacific and South and Central Asian Affairs (CSO/EAP-SCA)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/EAP-SCA reports to a Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions for the countries and region covered by the Department’s Bureaus of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs:
(1) Provides regional and country-specific expertise in conflict analysis and planning; supports and advocates for U.S. policy goals and objectives, as well as CSO priorities; and supports senior-level CSO engagement with the regional and relevant functional bureaus, USAID, the Department of Defense and Geographic Combatant Commands, the National Security Council, and diplomatic posts regarding the objectives and design of country-specific programs and initiatives;
(2) Facilitates the design, implementation, coordination, and monitoring of regional and country strategies and country-specific programs and initiatives to address conflict and stabilization in coordination with relevant functional bureaus and on the basis of requirements identified by the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and/or the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and requests from the regional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners;
(3) Based on the analysis, subject matter expertise, and learning provided by other CSO offices, determines staffing requirements for CSO regional initiatives in conflict prevention, response, and stabilization in coordination with the relevant regional and functional bureaus, chiefs of mission, and other partners, where appropriate;
(4) Plays a leading role in planning, developing, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring critical initiatives consistent with Department and bureau support of U.S. policy goals for the region and specific countries, supporting CSO’s thematic focus and serving as CSO’s primary liaison to the regional bureau;
(5) Provides guidance to and coordinates support for deployed CSO employees;
(6) Based on standards and methods devised and provided by CSO/DME, ensures accountability by measuring the progress and effectiveness of deployed teams against specific goals set at the beginning of deployment and other appropriate measures and makes course corrections where necessary;
(7) Implements and performs oversight with respect to foreign assistance program funds allocated to CSO;
(8) Manages in-country CSO operations;
(9) Performs other duties as assigned
1 FAM 473.8 Office of Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (CSO/DME)
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
CSO/DME reports to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and performs the following functions:
(1) In close collaboration with the Assistant Secretary and the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, coordinates with the Office of the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance to determine proper levels of program funding for CSO and ensure conflict prevention, response, and stabilization programming is fully integrated with the objectives of other Department bureaus and U.S. government partners;
(2) Designs programs based on selected criteria and best practices and CSO’s key areas of expertise in coordination with relevant CSO offices and Department bureaus;
(3) Provides monitoring and evaluation of U.S. conflict prevention and stabilization strategies, policies, and programs in collaboration with other Department bureaus;
(4) Conducts targeted research and analysis and produces reports as appropriate on conflict prevention and stabilization to inform CSO programs and policies;
(5) Devises and disseminates best practices in program design, monitoring, and evaluation and collaborates with CSO/AA to create metrics to measure the impact and success of programs tied to policy outcomes;
(6) As needed, conducts training, workshops, and conferences on program design, monitoring, and evaluation for bureau and interagency partners on conflict prevention and stabilization;
(7) Identifies and develops CSO methodologies and toolkits, monitoring and evaluating their application by the U.S. government and tracking trends and patterns in conflict and stabilization;
(8) Provides subject matter expertise on anticipating, preventing, and mitigating conflict and instability;
(9) Provides subject matter expertise and advice on peace processes and complex political negotiations;
(10) Collaborates with other CSO offices to plan and allocate program funds in support of conflict prevention, response, and stabilization objectives;
(11) Serves as the Secretariat for the Program Advisory Board, which consists of CSO Office Directors and provides recommendations to the CSO Front Office on the effective and prudent use of CSO foreign assistance resources, recommends funding priorities, and identifies potential trade-offs using evidence-based criteria to increase transparency, consistency, and internal coordination of program funding decisions;
(12) Monitors and evaluates U.S. government efforts to prevent and mitigate conflict and instability, particularly political instability in fragile states, and collects, synthesizes, and disseminates lessons learned from CSO and other evaluations to inform ongoing and future work;
(13) Performs other duties as assigned.
1 FAM Exhibit 471.2
Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) Organizational Chart
(CT:ORG-639; 10-12-2023)
