Presidential Study Directive on Mass Atrocities
Presidential Study Directive/PSD-10
MEMORANDUM FOR
THE VICE PRESIDENT
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF
DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS
DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO THE VICE PRESIDENT
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
DIRECTOR OF THE DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Subject: Creation of an Interagency Atrocities Prevention Board and Corresponding Interagency Review
Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security
interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States.
Our security is affected when masses of civilians are slaughtered,
refugees flow across borders, and murderers wreak havoc on regional
stability and livelihoods. America's reputation suffers, and our
ability to bring about change is constrained, when we are perceived as
idle in the face of mass atrocities and genocide. Unfortunately,
history has taught us that our pursuit of a world where states do not
systematically slaughter civilians will not come to fruition without
concerted and coordinated effort.
Governmental engagement on atrocities and genocide too often arrives
too late, when opportunities for prevention or low-cost, low-risk action
have been missed. By the time these issues have commanded the
attention of senior policy makers, the menu of options has shrunk
considerably and the costs of action have risen.
In the face of a potential mass atrocity, our options are never limited
to either sending in the military or standing by and doing nothing.
The actions that can be taken are many. They range from economic to
diplomatic interventions, and from non combat military actions to
outright intervention. But ensuring that the full range of options is
available requires a level of governmental organization that matches the
methodical organization characteristic of mass killings.
Sixty six years since the Holocaust and 17 years after Rwanda, the
United States still lacks a comprehensive policy framework and a
corresponding interagency mechanism for preventing and responding to
mass atrocities and genocide. This has left us ill prepared to engage
early, proactively, and decisively to prevent threats from evolving into
large scale civilian atrocities.
Accordingly, I hereby direct the establishment of an interagency
Atrocities Prevention Board within 120 days from the date of this
Presidential Study Directive. The primary purpose of the Atrocities
Prevention Board shall be to coordinate a whole of government approach
to preventing mass atrocities and genocide. By institutionalizing the
coordination of atrocity prevention, we can ensure: (1) that our
national security apparatus recognizes and is responsive to early
indicators of potential atrocities; (2) that departments and agencies
develop and implement comprehensive atrocity prevention and response
strategies in a manner that allows "red flags" and dissent to be raised
to decision makers; (3) that we increase the capacity and develop
doctrine for our foreign service, armed services, development
professionals, and other actors to engage in the full spectrum of smart
prevention activities; and (4) that we are optimally positioned to work
with our allies in order to ensure that the burdens of atrocity
prevention and response are appropriately shared.
To this end, I direct the National Security Advisor to lead a focused
interagency study to develop and recommend the membership, mandate,
structure, operational protocols, authorities, and support necessary for
the Atrocities Prevention Board to coordinate and develop atrocity
prevention and response policy. Specifically, the interagency review
shall identify:
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operational protocols necessary for the Atrocities Prevention Board to
coordinate and institutionalize the Federal Government's efforts to
prevent and respond to potential atrocities and genocide, including but
not limited to: identifying (standing and ex officio) members
of the Atrocities Prevention Board; defining the scope of the Atrocity
Prevention Board's mandate and the means by which it will ensure that
the full range of options and debate is presented to senior-level
decision makers; identifying triggers for the development of atrocity
prevention strategies; identifying any specific authority the Atrocities
Prevention Board or its members should have with respect to alerting
the President to a potential genocide or atrocity;
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how the Intelligence Community and other relevant Government agencies
can best support the Atrocities Prevention Board's mission, including
but not limited to: examining the multiplicity of existing early
warning assessments in order to recommend how these efforts can be
better coordinated and/or consolidated, support the work of the
Atrocities Prevention Board, and drive the development of atrocity
prevention strategies and policies; examining options for improving
intelligence and open source assessments of the potential for genocide
and mass atrocities; and examining protocols for safely declassifying
and/or sharing intelligence when needed to galvanize regional actors,
allies, or relevant institutions to respond to an atrocity or genocide;
and
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steps toward creating a comprehensive policy framework for preventing
mass atrocities, including but not limited to: conducting an inventory
of existing tools and authorities across the Government that can be
drawn upon to prevent atrocities; identifying new tools or capabilities
that may be required; identifying how we can better support and train
our foreign and armed services, development professionals, and build the
capacity of key regional allies and partners, in order to be better
prepared to prevent and respond to mass atrocities or genocide.
In answering these questions, the interagency review shall consider the
recommendations of relevant bipartisan and expert studies, including
the recommendations of the bipartisan Genocide Prevention Task Force,
co-chaired by former Secretaries Madeleine K. Albright and William
Cohen.
I direct the National Security Advisor, through the National Security
Staff's Director for War Crimes and Atrocities, to oversee and direct
the interagency review, which shall include representatives from the
following:
Office of the Vice President
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Department of Defense
Department of Justice
Department of Homeland Security
United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency
United States Agency for International Development
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Peace Corps
National Security Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
Executive departments and agencies shall be responsive to all requests
from the National Security Advisor-led interagency review committee for
information, analysis, and assistance.
The interagency review shall be completed within 100 days, so that the
Atrocities Prevention Board can commence its work within 120 days from
the date of this Presidential Study Directive.
BARACK OBAMA
www.whitehouse.gov