§ 1710 — Drug Interdiction Coordinator And Committee

(1) The Director shall designate or appoint an appointee in the Senior Executive Service or an appointee in a position at level 15 of the General Schedule (or equivalent) as the United States Interdiction Coordinator to perform the duties of that position described in paragraph (2) and such other duties as may be determined by the Director with respect to coordination of efforts to interdict illicit drugs from entering the United States. (2) The United States Interdiction Coordinator shall be responsible to the Director for— (A) coordinating the interdiction activities of the National Drug Control Program agencies to ensure consistency with the National Drug Control Strategy; (B) on behalf of the Director, developing and issuing, on or before September 1 of each year and in accordance with paragraph (4), a National Interdiction Command and Control Plan to ensure the coordination and consistency described in subparagraph (A); (C) assessing the sufficiency of assets committed to illicit drug interdiction by the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies; and (D) advising the Director on the efforts of each National Drug Control Program agency to implement the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan. (3) The Director shall assign such permanent staff of the Office as he considers appropriate to assist the United States Interdiction Coordinator to carry out the responsibilities described in paragraph (2), and may request that appropriate National Drug Control Program agencies detail or assign staff to assist in carrying out such responsibilities. (A) The National Interdiction Command and Control Plan shall— (i) set forth the Government’s strategy for drug interdiction; (ii) state the specific roles and responsibilities of the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies for implementing that strategy; and (iii) identify the specific resources required to enable the relevant National Drug Control Program agencies to implement that strategy. (B) Before submission of the National Drug Control Strategy or annual assessment required under section 1705 of this title, as applicable, the United States Interdiction Coordinator shall issue the National Interdiction Command and Control Plan in consultation with the other members of the Interdiction Committee described in subsection (b). (C) On or before September 1 of each year, the Director, acting through the United States Interdiction Coordinator, shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees, to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate a report that— (i) includes— (I) a copy of that year’s National Interdiction Command and Control Plan, including information about how each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities is engaging with relevant international partners; (II) information for the previous 10 years regarding the number and type of seizures of drugs by each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities and statistical information on the geographic areas of such seizures; and (III) information for the previous 10 years regarding the number of air and maritime patrol hours undertaken by each National Drug Control Program agency conducting drug interdiction activities and statistical information on the geographic areas in which such patrol hours took place; and (ii) may include recommendations for changes to existing agency authorities or laws governing interagency relationships. (D) Each report required to be submitted under subparagraph (C) shall be in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. (1) The Interdiction Committee shall meet to— (A) discuss and resolve issues related to the coordination, oversight and integration of international, border, and domestic drug interdiction efforts in support of the National Drug Control Strategy; (B) review the annual National Interdiction Command and Control Plan, and provide advice to the Director and the United States Interdiction Coordinator concerning that plan and how to strengthen international partnerships to better achieve the goals of that plan; and (C) provide such other advice to the Director concerning drug interdiction strategy and policies as the committee determines is appropriate. (2) The Director shall designate one of the members of the Interdiction Committee to serve as Chairperson. (3) The members of the Interdiction Committee shall meet, in person and not through any delegate or representative, at least once per calendar year, before June 1. At the call of the Director or the Chairperson, the Interdiction Committee may hold additional meetings, which shall be attended by the members in person, or through such delegates or representatives as the members may choose. (4) Not later than September 30 of each year, the Chairperson of the Interdiction Committee shall submit to the Director and to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing the results of the meetings and any significant findings of the Committee during the previous 12 months. The report required under this paragraph shall be in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. (c) The Director may facilitate international drug control coordination efforts.