Chief of mission

Source Credit

(a) Duties
Under the direction of the President, the chief of mission to a foreign country—
(1) shall have full responsibility for the direction, coordination, and supervision of all Government executive branch employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander); and
(2) shall keep fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and operations of the Government within that country, and shall insure that all Government executive branch employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander) comply fully with all applicable directives of the chief of mission.
(b) Duties of agencies with employees in foreign countries
Any executive branch agency having employees in a foreign country shall keep the chief of mission to that country fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and operations of its employees in that country, and shall insure that all of its employees in that country (except for Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and employees under the command of a United States area military commander) comply fully with all applicable directives of the chief of mission.
(c) Promotion of United States goods and services
Each chief of mission to a foreign country shall have as a principal duty the promotion of United States goods and services for export to such country.
(d) Promotion of United States economic interests
Each chief of mission to a foreign country shall have as a principal duty the promotion of United States economic and commercial interests in such country.

History

(Pub. L. 96–465, title I, §207, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2079; Pub. L. 97–241, title I, §123, Aug. 24, 1982, 96 Stat. 281; Pub. L. 100–204, title I, §136, Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1345; Pub. L. 107–228, div. A, title V, §505(b), Sept. 30, 2002, 116 Stat. 1393; Pub. L. 116–94, div. J, title VII, §704, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 3070.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments
2019—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–94 added subsec. (d).
2002—Subsecs. (a)(1), (2), (b). Pub. L. 107–228 inserted "Voice of America correspondents on official assignment and" after "except for".
1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–204, §136(1), (2), inserted "executive branch" after "Government" in par. (1) and after second reference to "Government" in par. (2).
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–204, §136(3), inserted "executive branch" after "Any".
1982—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–241 added subsec. (c).