The State Department's new Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) is intended to address longstanding concerns, both within Congress and the broader foreign policy community, over the perceived lack of the appropriate capabilities and processes to deal with transitions from conflict to sustainable stability. These capabilities and procedures include adequate planning mechanisms for stabilization and reconstruction operations, efficient inter-agency coordination structures and procedures in carrying out such tasks, and appropriate civilian personnel for many of the non-military tasks required. Effectively distributing resources among the various executive branch actors, maintaining clear lines of authority and jurisdiction, and balancing short-and long-term objectives are major challenges for designing, planning, and conducting post-conflict operations. On March 10, 2005, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported its version of the Foreign Affairs Authorization Act for FY2006 and FY2007 (S. 600). Sections 701-711 incorporate a slightly modified version of the Lugar-Biden Stabilization and Reconstruction bill of 2004 (S. 2127, 108th Congress) and the version of that bill reintroduced on January 31, 2005 as S. 209. These sections would: (1) create a statutory basis of S/CRS and its functions, and provide the Senate with power over the appointment of the S/CRS head; (2) provide authority and funding for a Readiness Response Corps; (3) provide the President with broad authority for conducting post-conflict response operations, and; (4) provide authority for the establishment of a $100 million emergency fund to conduct such operations. This report will be updated.

"Received through the CRS Web." "Order code RL32862." "Updated January 26, 2006."