Thursday, December 13, 2018

USA Government

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is the United States government agency responsible for developing and recommending United States trade policy to the President of the United States, conducting trade negotiations at bilateral and multilateral levels, and coordinating trade policy within the government through the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) and Trade Policy Review Group (TPRG). Established as the Office of the Special Trade Representative (STR) under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the USTR is part of the Executive Office of the President.
- people
  •  https://geneva.usmission.gov/2018/06/06/biography-of-ambassador-dennis-shea/


office of personnel management https://www.opm.gov
- https://www.pmf.gov/opportunity/index.aspx Bearing the Presidential moniker, the PMF Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates. It was created more than three decades ago by Executive Order and has gone through many changes over the years. The Program attracts and selects the best candidates possible, but is really designed with a more narrow focus - developing a cadre of potential government leaders. It provides some sustenance during the first years of employment and encourages development of leadership capabilities. The PMF Program inculcates a lasting bond as well as a spirit of public service, ultimately encouraging and leading to a career in the government. Advanced Degree means a professional or graduate degree (e.g., master's, Ph.D., J.D.).

White House Office of American Innovation
- http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/26/politics/kushner-american-innovation-white-house/ President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will lead a new White House office aimed at reforming the federal government through private-sector solutions.On Monday, Trump will announce the establishment of a White House Office of American Innovation, which will be tasked with crafting ideas to reshape the federal bureaucracy to make it leaner and more effective.


https://history.state.gov The Office of the Historian is staffed by professional historians who are experts in the history of U.S. foreign policy and the Department of State and possess unparalleled research experience in classified and unclassified government records. The Office’s historians work closely with other federal government history offices, the academic historical community, and specialists across the globe. The Office is directed by Dr. Stephen Randolph, The Historian of the U.S. Department of State.


Secretary for Commerce
- http://www.trade.gov/manufacturingcouncil/ The Manufacturing Council serves as the principal private sector advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce on the United States manufacturing sector. The Council is charged with ensuring regular communication between the federal government and the manufacturing sector, advising the Secretary of Commerce on government policies and programs that affect United States manufacturing and provide a forum for discussing and proposing solutions to industry-related problems and to ensure that the United States remains the preeminent destination for investment in manufacturing throughout the world.  The Manufacturing Council serves as the principal private sector advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce on the United States manufacturing sector. The Council was established on April 7, 2004 as a result of a recommendation in the Bush Administration’s report Manufacturing in America: A Comprehensive Strategy to Address the Challenges to U.S. Manufacturers released in January 2004. The report called for enhancing the U.S. Government’s focus on manufacturing competitiveness, including the creation of the Manufacturing Council.  The Manufacturing Council consists of up to 25 private-sector individuals, including a Chairman and Vice Chair, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce for a two-year term. As a Secretarial advisory committee, the Council acts under the direction of the Secretary of Commerce and the Council members serve at the pleasure of the Secretary. Members do not receive compensation for their service to the Council. The membership of the Council reflects a balanced cross-section of U.S. manufacturing industry sectors, including entities from various geographic locations and businesses of varying size.

 - The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for business and government decision-making, and helping to set industrial standards. This organization's main purpose is to create jobs, promote economic growth, encourage sustainable development and improve standards of living for all Americans. The Department of Commerce headquarters is the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. The department was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903. It was subsequently renamed the Department of Commerce on March 4, 1913, as the bureaus and agencies specializing in labor were transferred to the new Department of Labor. The United States Patent and Trademark Office was transferred from the Interior Department into Commerce, and the Federal Employment Stabilization Office existed within the department from 1931 to 1939. In 1940, the Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) was transferred from the Agriculture Department, and the Civil Aeronautics Authority was merged into the department. In 1949, the Public Roads Administration was added to the department due to the dissolution of the Federal Works Agency. In 1958, the independent Federal Aviation Agency was created and the Civil Aeronautics Authority was abolished. The United States Travel Service was established by the United States Secretary of Commerce on July 1, 1961 pursuant to the International Travel Act of 1961 (75 Stat. 129; 22 U.S.C. 2121 note)[4] The Economic Development Administration was created in 1965. In 1966, the Bureau of Public Roads was transferred to the newly created Department of Transportation. The Minority Business Development Agency(MBDA) was created on March 5, 1969, originally established by President Richard M. Nixon as the Office of Minority Business Enterprise. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was created on October 3, 1970.
  • Recently, the Department of Commerce established the United States Investment Advisory Council (IAC) (www.trade.gov/IAC).. This council will serve as a key conduit for stakeholder input on how best to support U.S. economic growth through the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment (FDI). This Council will consist of no more than 20 members appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. Each IAC member will serve for a two-year period and the Council will convene twice a year. The mission of the IAC is simple but important for job creation in the United States. The IAC shall: 
  • Advise the Secretary on U.S. government policies and programs that affect FDI;
  • Identify and recommend programs and policies to help the United States attract and retain FDI; and
  • Recommend ways to support the position of the United States as the world’s preeminent destination for FDI.

  • people
  • Israel Hernandez served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and Promotion and Director-General of the United States Commercial Service under President George W. Bush. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 3, 2005. This U.S. government agency is a global trade office with presence in more than 47 states and 80 countries to protect and advance U.S. trade interestes abroad and provides international business advocacy assistance at the federal, state and local level. In January 2009, Hernandez was appointed to the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) for a five-year term at the United States Trade Representative's Office in the Executive Office of the President.
  •  https://www.ft.com/content/9004cf08-3d35-11e8-b7e0-52972418fec4 HNA Group has hired former senior US commerce department official Israel Hernandez as its head of international corporate affairs, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr Hernandez’s most recent political appointment was as senior adviser to US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, as well as acting undersecretary of international trade for nine months until December 2017. In 2005, he was appointed assistant secretary of commerce and director-general of the US Commercial Service, a trade promotion agency, under President George W Bush, according to the White House archives. In that role he was in charge of a global operation of more than 1,700 people in 80 countries.

  •  美國華裔水文專家陳霞芬控告聯邦政府無理解僱案，聯邦考績委員會（MSPB）周二宣布，商務部欠缺正當理據解僱陳霞芬，要求商務部恢復陳在國家氣象局的職務，並補發她被解僱期間的所有薪金和福利。陳的團隊發表聲明，希望裁決令聯邦政府停止針對無辜的美籍華人。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180427/00180_013.html
- International Trade Administration

  • blog http://blog.trade.gov/about/
  • Global Markets Global Meeting this week, bringing together ITA’s senior Commercial Service staff from the United States and around the world to share best practices, learn about new opportunities, and connect with the people who are making commerce happen http://blog.trade.gov/2014/09/03/daring-to-be-great-in-supporting-u-s-exporters/
  • http://blog.trade.gov/2014/09/25/supporting-manufacturers-on-manufacturing-day-and-every-day/
  • Export.gov was created to provide better customer service for businesses interacting with the Federal Government. TheU.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration manages Export.gov as a collaborative effort with the19 Federal Agencies that offer export assistance programs and services.
  • http://export.gov/exportbasics/eg_main_017458.asp The Trade Information Center (TIC) is the first stop for companies seeking export assistance from the U.S. Government. TIC international trade specialists.  http://export.gov/exportbasics/eg_main_017478.asp
  • finding a trade specialist http://www.export.gov/eac/
  • http://blog.trade.gov/2015/05/19/smart-growth-trade-mission-to-guangzhou-the-start-of-something-great/ Trade Mission to Guangzhou May 2015
  • http://trade.gov/nei/ The Obama Administration has made it a top priority to improve the conditions that directly affect the private sector’s ability to export – working to remove trade barriers abroad, help firms and farmers overcome hurdles to entering new markets, and assist with financing. President Obama announced the National Export Initiative in his 2010 State of the Union address to renew and revitalize our efforts to promote American exports abroad.
    These efforts are paying off – and helping to change the way America does business. Now more than at any time in our history, Americans are selling more U.S. goods and services to the 95 percent of consumers who live outside of our borders. In 2012, U.S. exports hit an all-time record of $2.2 trillion and supported 9.8 million jobs.
- national trade council

  • http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21715017-there-are-reasons-be-worried-about-head-donald-trumps-new-national-trade-council-peter

- US Commercial Service

  • trade advocacy services
  • market intelligence, china business handbook 2013 http://export.gov/china/build/groups/public/@eg_cn/documents/webcontent/eg_cn_055956.pdf
  • trade counselling
  • business matchmaking
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA; pronounced /ˈnoʊ.ə/, like "Noah") is an American scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce that focuses on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. NOAA warns of dangerous weather, charts seas, guides the use and protection of ocean and coastal resources and conducts research to provide understanding and improve stewardship of the environment. In addition to its over 11,000 civilian employees,[3] In 2017 NOAA research and operations are supported by 321 uniformed service members who make up the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.[4] NOAA traces its history back to the convergence of multiple agencies: The United States Coastal and Geodetic Survey (founded in 1807), the Weather Bureau (1870) and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (1871). NOAA was officially formed in 1970.[5] The acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere at the US Department of Commerce and the agency's interim administrator has been Benjamin Friedman since the end of the Obama Administration on January 20, 2017.[6] In October 2017, Barry Lee Myers, CEO of AccuWeather was proposed to be the agency's administrator by the Trump Administration

  • NOAA was formed on October 3, 1970 after U.S. President Richard Nixon proposed creating a new agency to serve a national need for "better protection of life and property from natural hazards …for a better understanding of the total environment…[and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources." NOAA formed a conglomeration of several existing scientific agencies that were among the oldest in the federal government. They were the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, formed in 1807; the Weather Bureau, formed in 1870—Geodetic Survey and Weather Service had been combined by a 1965 consolidation into the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), including the uniformed Commissioned Corp (founded 1917); and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, formed in 1871. NOAA was established within the Department of Commerce via the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.[10] In 2007, NOAA celebrated 200 years of service with its ties to the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.The NOAA flag is a modification of the flag of one of its predecessor organizations, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Coast and Geodetic Survey's flag, authorized in 1899 and in use until 1970, was blue, with a white circle centered in it and a red triangle centered within the circle. It symbolized the use of triangulation in surveying, and was flown by ships of the Survey.
  • 美國邁阿密的華裔科學家王春在，被控於二○○○至一六年任職美國國家海洋和大氣管理局（NOAA）期間，接受中國政府有酬工作，參與中國長江學者、千人計劃，案件日前在邁阿密聯邦法庭審理。他當庭承認控罪，法庭判處以他已被關押的時間作為刑期，但沒有透露王春在從何時起被關押。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180225/00178_009.html
- uspto
  • Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Michelle K. Lee 
  • provides leadership and oversight to one of the largest intellectual property offices in the world, with over 12,000 employees and an annual budget of over $3 billion.Ms. Lee also serves as the principal advisor to the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on domestic and international intellectual property policy matters. Through working to strengthen the intellectual property systems—including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets—she helps promote innovation and economic growth. Ms. Lee also drives international intellectual property harmonization efforts, which support the administration's top priorities to increase both trade and economic growth.  Ms. Lee is the first woman to serve as Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the country’s 225+ year history. Prior to her current role, she served as Deputy Director, and before that as the first Director of the USPTO’s Silicon Valley Regional Office. Ms. Lee has spent most of her professional career advising some of the country's most innovative companies on technical, legal, and business matters. Prior to joining the USPTO, she was Deputy General Counsel for Google and the company's first Head of Patents and Patent Strategy. She joined the company when it was relatively young, and was responsible for formulating and implementing its worldwide patent strategy, including building its patent portfolio from a small handful of patents to over 10,500 assets in eight years. She also served as a partner at the Silicon Valley-based law firm of Fenwick & West LLP, where she specialized in advising a wide range of high-technology clients from startups to Fortune 100 companies on technology licensing, intellectual property, litigation, and corporate matters. Prior to her career as a legal advisor to technology companies, Ms. Lee worked in the federal judiciary as a law clerk for the Honorable Vaughn R. Walker on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and the Honorable Paul R. Michel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Before building her legal career, Ms. Lee worked as a computer scientist at Hewlett-Packard Research Laboratories, as well as at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. She holds a B.S. and an M.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from M.I.T., as well as a J.D. from Stanford Law School.http://www.uspto.gov/about-us/executive-biographies/michelle-k-lee
  •  Although the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) continues to decline comment on the status of Michelle Lee, as of 3:49pm EST on Monday, January 23, 2017, the Commerce Department staff webpage lists Lee as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. However, the Commerce Department leadership webpage continues to list the position of USPTO Director as "Vacant." If you click through to Michelle Lee's staff page on the Commerce website you see that her page was last updated on March 24, 2015.
  • Andrei Iancu, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Irell & Manella LLP, was appointed as director Prior to law school, Iancu was an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Co. where he received several awards including the Malcolm R. Currie Innovation Award. He is still licensed as a professional engineer in California. Iancu’s current practice focuses on intellectual property litigation. He has also been involved in all other aspects of the intellectual property practice, including patent and trademark prosecution, due diligence and licensing. Iancu is registered to practice in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He has represented clients across the technology spectrum, including those associated with medical devices, the internet, telephony, TV broadcasting, video game systems and computer peripherals. https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/andrei-iancu/
- us small business association https://www.sba.gov/
  • The Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) program is a United States Governmentprogram, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, intended to help certain small businesses conduct research and development (R&D). Funding takes the form of contracts or grants. The recipient projects must have the potential for commercialization and must meet specific U.S. Government R&D needs. The SBIR program was created to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy ... one business at a time.[1] In the words of program founderRoland Tibbetts: "to provide funding for some of the best early-stage innovation ideas -- ideas that, however promising, are still too high risk for private investors, including venture capital firms."[2] For the purposes of the SBIR program, the term "small business" is defined as a for-profit business with fewer than 500 employees, owned by one or more individuals who are citizens of, or permanent resident aliens in, the United States of America. Funds are obtained by allocating a certain percentage of the total extramural (R&D) budgets of the 11 federal agencies with extramural research budgets in excess of $100 million. Approximately $2.5 billion is awarded through this program each year. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest agency in this program with approximately $1 billion in SBIR grants annually. Over half the awards from the DoD are to firms with fewer than 25 people and a third to firms of fewer than 10. A fifth are minority or women-owned businesses. Historically a quarter of the companies receiving grants are receiving them for the first-time.[3]

- Invest America www.investamerica.gov


department of state
- The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreign affairs interests overseas and in Washington. FSI provides more than 600 courses — including over 70 foreign languages — to more than 100,000 enrollees a year from the Department of State and more than 40 other government agencies and the military service branches. The FSI is based at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. The Institute's programs include training for the development of United States Foreign Service and Civil Service professionals, and for Foreign Service Nationals who work at U.S. posts around the world. Ranging in length from one day to two years, courses are designed to promote successful performance in each professional assignment, to ease the adjustment to other countries and cultures, and to enhance the leadership and management capabilities of the U.S. foreign affairs community. Other courses and services help family members prepare for the demands of a mobile lifestyle and living abroad, and provide employees and their families with important information about such critical and timely topics as emergency preparedness and cyber-security awareness, among others. The Director of the Foreign Service Institute is equivalent in rank to an Assistant Secretary of State
- http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/index.htm U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets 
- The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence bureau in the United States Department of State tasked with providing all-source intelligence support to U.S. diplomats and analyzing information. Originally founded as the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services (1942-1945), it was transferred to the Department of State at the end of World War II. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research is part of the U.S. Intelligence Community. The current number of employees and its budget are classified. 
- As mandated by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) works to build friendly, peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports, and professional exchanges, as well as public -private partnerships.
foreign ambassadors
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-fires-us-ambassadors-no-replacements-a7538256.html As many as 80 ambassadors for countries, agencies and issues - such as the ambassador for global women's issues - have been discarded at once. The move now threatens leaving many countries without Senate-confirmed envoys for months and cutting off a direct line to the President, and some in countries which have sensitive relations to the US. This includes Germany, the UK and Canada, as well as other critical allies. Also, countries such as China, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia will also be looking for replacements.
- https://www.ft.com/content/59af32aa-0620-11e8-9650-9c0ad2d7c5b5 The White House has abandoned plans to nominate Victor Cha as US ambassador to Seoul after the Korea expert raised concerns about US plans to use a military strike to give North Korea a “bloody nose”. Two people familiar with the situation said the White House had stopped returning calls from Mr Cha, a former Bush administration official who teaches at Georgetown University, after he expressed concern in a December meeting about a plan to warn Pyongyang with a narrow military strike. The White House notified Mr Cha at the weekend that his nomination would not proceed. The two people said he had received his security clearances and had been approved by the South Korean government — a process that would not have continued if the White House found a problem during his vetting. “It is worrying that the country’s leading Korea expert was pulled at this sensitive moment on the peninsula,” said Michael Green, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who worked with Mr Cha at the National Security Council during the Bush administration.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is the United States government's development finance institution. It mobilizes private capital to help solve critical development challenges and, in doing so, advances the foreign policy of the United States and national security objectives.
- In 1966, Congress established the International Private Investment Advisory Council (IPIAC) under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1966. In December 1968, IPIAC published "The Case for a U.S. Overseas Private Enterprise Development Corporation", a report articulating the need for such an entity. In the report, the IPIAC recommended the organization of an overseas private enterprise development corporation of and funded by the United States, as responsive to the Javits Amendment to the 1968 Foreign Assistance Act. As administration of the U.S. guaranty program moved among various agencies, bipartisan support grew to establish it on a permanent basis as a self-sustaining, independent agency.Congress created OPIC in 1969 through an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, and the agency began operations in 1971, during the Nixon Administration,[6] with a portfolio of $8.4 billion in political risk insurance and $169 million in loan guaranties. In a special message to Congress in 1971, President Nixon stated that OPIC's establishment will help "give new direction to U.S. private investment abroad… and provide new focus to our foreign assistance effort." Organized as a corporation with a corporate structure, OPIC is governed by a Board of Directors,[8] President and CEO,[9] and Executive Vice President,[10] all nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the U.S. Senate. The majority of the Board of Directors, including its President, are "drawn from private life and have business experience."[7] Although it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to American taxpayers, OPIC is appropriated administrative funding, and reauthorized on a regular basis, by the U.S. Congress.
- 美國政府為抗衡中國「一帶一路」倡議及其不斷增加的影響力，計劃將隸屬華府、負責促進美國海外投資的「海外私人投資公司」(OPIC)整合成新機構，為全球各地大型基建項目提供600億美元(約4,686億港元)融資，額度較目前增加逾一倍。美國總統特朗普去年曾批評OPIC為「不必要的政府干預和扭曲自由市場」，建議廢除，但分析認為隨着中美貿易關係緊張，特朗普已改變立場。新法案獲共和民主兩黨議員普遍支持，今夏已在眾議院通過，稍後將由參議院審議。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/09/02/a19-0902.pdf


department of the treasury http://www.treasury.gov/
  • Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/international/Pages/Committee-on-Foreign-Investment-in-US.aspx
Department of defense
- us national security act of 1947 and amendment to that act in 1949 created the us national defense establishment. The 1947 act created the us air force, separating it from us army. The 1986 defense reorganization act strenghtened the statutory framework. The 1947 act also created central intelligence agency (cia) and national security council. Director ofvcentral intelligence was replaced by a newly created director of national intelligence. National clandestine service replaced the former directorate of operations.
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President of the United States on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and the Military Service Chiefs from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau,[1] all appointed by the President following Senate confirmation.[2] Each of the individual Military Service Chiefs, outside of their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, works directly for the Secretary of the Military Department concerned, i.e., Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force. Following the Goldwater–Nichols Act in 1986, the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority, neither individually nor collectively, as the chain of command goes from the President to the Secretary of Defense, and from the Secretary of Defense to theCommanders of the Combatant Commands. Goldwater–Nichols also created the office of Vice Chairman, and the Chairman is now designated as the principal military adviser to the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and to the President.
- The Joint Staff (JS) is a headquarters staff in the Pentagon, composed of personnel from each of the four Department of Defense armed services, that assists the Chairman and the Vice Chairman in discharging their responsibilities and is managed by the Director of the Joint Staff(DJS) who is a lieutenant general or Navy vice admiral.
- Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) is a recruitment program by the Department of Defense, USA, through which legal non-immigrants (not citizens or legal permanent residents of USA) with certain critical skills are recruited into the military services of US.[1] Certain health care professionals and experts in certain languages meet eligibility requirements for recruitment through this program.[2] MAVNI was spearheaded by immigration attorney Margaret Stock, a former U.S. Army Reserve and West Point professor. Soldiers belonging to the enlisted rank, and recruited through this program, become citizen of the United States usually at the end of their Basic Combat Training (BCT). An announcement from the Pentagon in October 2014 declared that certain people belonging to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA) category may become eligible for the MAVNI program. In 2008, when the program started, it was a one-year pilot  program with a cap of 1000 recruits.[5] Following the success of the pilot, the program was renewed. As of December 2014, the program has been extended until 2016, with a raised cap of 5000 recruits.[1] Enlistments are permitted for both active-duty and reserve assignments, but not in the National Guard.
  • https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/26632-defense-department-investigates-security-risks-of-mavni-program-to-recruit-immigrants-and-aliens
- United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Its commander, the senior U.S. military officer in the Pacific, is responsible for military operations in an area which encompasses more than 100 million square miles (260,000,000 km2), or roughly 52 percent of the Earth’s surface, stretching from the waters off the west coast of the United States to the west coast of India, and from the Arctic to the Antarctic. The Commander reports to the President of the United States through the Secretary of Defense and is supported by Service component and subordinate unified commands, including U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, U.S. Forces Japan, U.S. Forces Korea, Special Operations Command Korea, and Special Operations Command Pacific. USINDOPACOM also has two direct reporting units (DRUs) - U.S. Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center (JIOC) and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DMHA) as well as a Standing Joint Task Force, Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF-W). The USINDOPACOM headquarters building, the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center, is located on Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM)[4] since its inception, the command was renamed to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on May 30, 2018, in recognition of the increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

  • founded on 1 January 1947


- The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC)[2] of the United States Army and is the army component unit of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. The main areas that this command has jurisdiction in include Hawaii, Alaska, the Pacific Ocean, South Korea and Japan. It also performs missions in Southeast Asia, in the countries such as the Philippines and Bangladesh. The United States Eighth Army in Korea has operational command and control on US Forces in Korea since January 2012, and USARPAC headquarters became its Army Component Command at the same date. However, subordinate units of this command sometimes perform humanitarian missions in places such as Haiti, Cuba, and the Middle East. 

  • active from oct 2000 to present

- The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and United States military bases across the world. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.
- us navy
  • Established by act of congress in 1798.
  • pacific fleet
  • President Donald Trump has named Vice Adm. John Aquilino as the new U.S. Pacific Fleet commander. Aquilino currently commands the U.S. 5th Fleet operating out of Bahrain. The U.S. Senate will vote on the nomination that was announced Friday. Two Pacific Fleet ships were involved in separate collisions near Japan and Singapore last year that killed 17 sailors. The Navy fired several top leaders, including the commander of the 7th Fleet. The current Pacific Fleet commander, Adm. Scott Swift, announced in September he would retire after he learned he wouldn't be promoted to lead all U.S. forces in the region at U.S. Pacific Command. The Pacific Fleet is headquartered in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Its ships operate from the U.S. West Coast, Hawaii, Guam and Asia. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/commander-named-us-pacific-fleet-52970094
  • 美國海軍日前宣布，將重建海軍第二艦隊，負責東岸及北大西洋的防務，以應對來自俄羅斯海軍的威脅。隨着美、俄的對抗情勢不斷升溫，一場新的冷戰正捲土重來。美軍第二艦隊始建於一九五○年，負責管轄大西洋西部及北部，直至二○一一年，美軍以「節約經費」為由解散。今次重組，用海軍作戰部部長理查森的話形容，那就是美國「重回大國競爭時代」，以應對日益複雜的安全環境。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180507/00192_001.html
  • ships

- The National Guard of the United States, part of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, is a reserve military force, composed of National Guard military members or units of each state and the territories of Guam, of the Virgin Islands, and of Puerto Rico, as well as of the District of Columbia, for a total of 54 separate organizations. All members of the National Guard of the United States are also members of the militia of the United States as defined by 10 U.S.C. § 246. National Guard units are under the dual control of the state and the federal government. The majority of National Guard soldiers and airmen hold a civilian job full-time while serving part-time as a National Guard member.[2][3] These part-time guardsmen are augmented by a full-time cadre of Active Guard & Reserve (AGR) personnel in both the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, plus Army Reserve Technicians in the Army National Guard and Air Reserve Technicians (ART) in the Air National Guard.The National Guard is a joint activity of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) composed of reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force: the Army National Guard of the United States and the Air National Guard of the United States respectively.
- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. DARPA was created in February 1958 as the Advanced Research Projects Agency(ARPA) by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Its purpose was to formulate and execute research and development projects to expand the frontiers of technology and science, with the aim to reach beyond immediate military requirements.[3] The administration was created in response to the Sovietlaunching of Sputnik 1 in 1957, and DARPA's mission was to ensure U.S. military technology would be more sophisticated than that of the nation's potential enemies. The name of the organization changed several times from its founding name ARPA: DARPA (March 1972), ARPA (February 1993), and DARPA (March 1996). DARPA is independent from other military research and development and reports directly to senior Department of Defense management. DARPA has ca. 240 personnel (13 in management, close to 140 technical) directly managing a $3 billion budget. DARPA-funded projects have provided significant technologies that influenced many non-military fields, such as computer networking and graphical user interfaces in information technology.

Intelligence related agencies
- economist 12-18nov16 issue

FBI
- http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20170714/00180_023.html FBI華盛頓的總部胡佛大樓因安全問題，打算在馬里蘭州和維珍尼亞州另覓新址。惟美國總務管理局周二宣布，由於撥款不足無法繼續建造新總部，取消搬遷。奧巴馬政府曾要求國會為搬遷計劃撥款十四億美元（約一百零九億四千萬港元），惟總務管理局表示，國會現時只批出五億二千三百萬美元（約四十億九千萬港元）。有民主黨人指斥決定與FBI正調查特朗普的通俄醜聞有關。


Central intelligence agency
- Recently declassified CIA files testify to the depth of the Pakistan-China military relationship built over decades and also highlights how Beijing was willing to risk its own nuclear cooperation with US to boost the nuclear ambitions of 'all weather friend' Pakistan. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/cia-papers-reveal-chinas-nuclear-free-pass-to-pakistan/articleshow/56823259.cms

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense. NRO is considered, along with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), to be one of the "big five" U.S. intelligence agencies.[2] The NRO is headquartered in unincorporatedFairfax County, Virginia,[3] 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Washington Dulles International Airport.

Naval intelligence organization headed by a director of naval intelligence

Marine
-  The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the United States Shipping Board which had existed since World War I. It was intended to formulate a merchant shipbuilding program to design and build five hundred modern merchant cargo ships to replace the World War I vintage vessels that comprised the bulk of the United States Merchant Marine, and to administer a subsidy system authorized by the Act to offset the cost differential between building in the U.S. and operating ships under the American flag. It also formed the United States Maritime Service for the training of seagoing ship's officers to man the new fleet.
- http://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/


department of agriculture http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome
  • contact info in southern states http://www.susta.org/staff/index.html
- Agricultural Trade Office
  • usda national organic program www.ams.usda.gov/nop
  • office in HK http://www.usfoods-hongkong.net/
department of energy

  • advanced research projects agency http://arpa-e.energy.gov/, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3feb5090-b134-11e4-9331-00144feab7de.html The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the US government office that funds research into fuel and power technologies, is that rare phenomenon in Washington, an Obama administration initiative with bipartisan support.There have been battles in Congress over funding the agency since it was launched as part of President Barack Obama’s stimulus programme in 2009, but it has in most years been able to secure the funding it needs to keep its spending steady.
Department of transportation
- office of international aviation

  • Together with department of state represent us in negotiating aviation agreements
  • Less restrictive bilateral agreements are generally known as open skies agreements
- federal avaition administration
  •  http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20160801/00180_003.html 原來美國全國運輸安全委員會（NTSB）曾因應引致多名港人死亡的埃及樂蜀熱氣球慘劇，建議設立熱氣球公司發牌制度，惟聯邦航空局（FAA）當時並沒採納。外媒引述二○一四年的信件稱，NTSB當時致函促請FAA，規定旅行社要接受安全檢查並取得熱氣球營運許可，及定時接受FAA的偵查。NTSB主席赫斯曼於信中警告，熱氣球意外可導致嚴重死傷，尤其是在目前寬鬆的規管下運作，將使意外發生的機會提高。

Department of health
- https://www.nih.govThe National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research andeducation in all the non-medical fields ofscience and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of aboutUS$7.0 billion (fiscal year 2012), the NSF funds approximately 24% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States' colleges and universities.[2] In some fields, such asmathematics, computer science,economics and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing.


department of labour

Federal labor relatiins authority

 department of justice
- Office of professional responsibility

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinetdepartment of the United States federal government with responsibilities in public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve antiterrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cybersecurity, and disaster prevention and management.[5] It was created in response to theSeptember 11 attacks. 
- The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1933 to 2003. Referred to by some as former INS[2] and by others as legacy INS, the agency ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred to three new entities – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services(USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as part of a major government reorganization following the September 11 attacks of 2001.
- The Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Under the direction of the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, I&A is responsible for developing DHS-wide intelligence through managing the collection, analysis and fusion of intelligence throughout the entire Department. I&A disseminates intelligence throughout DHS, to the other members of the United States Intelligence Community, and to first responders at the state, local, and tribal level.





defense intelligence agency
national intelligence council http://www.dni.gov/index.php/about/organization/national-intelligence-council-who-we-are
http://www.thebrandusa.com/About-Brand-USA Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act to spearhead the nation's first global marketing effort to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. - See more at: http://www.thebrandusa.com/About-Brand-USA#sthash.LhxnVflo.dpuf
- jobs https://www.usajobs.gov/
- U.S. Chief Information Officer and the Federal CIO Council https://cio.gov/about/
- Federal Geographic Data Committee www.fgdc.gov
- Health Resources and Services Administration

- government printing office http://www.gpo.gov/
- http://www.access-board.gov/

  • http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards
-  Office of Net Assessment (ONA), known as the Pentagon’s internal think-tank

  • http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21638157-enigmatic-futurist-last-calls-it-quits-quiet-american
- Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog,"GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. www.gao.gov/about/
- merit systems protection board

  • Predecessor - civil service commission


- illinois
  • State of Illinois Southeast Asia Office (2808 Wu Chung House (tel: 25443863, e-mail: info@illinoishongkong.org.hk), publishes a directory of illinois companies in Hong Kong
- new mexico
  • Office of international trade

- Virginia

  • invester aftercare program: calls on existing investors; INVEST magazine; invitation to special events like governor's  receptions, speaking engagements; virginia international investors forum; china dinner; china golf events
The Bureau of International Organizations is the U.S. Department of State’s focal point for all things Model UN. For more than a decade, the Bureau has partnered with the United Nations Association of the USA to host the Department’s signature annual Model UN Conference bringing hundreds of youth to the historic Harry S. Truman building for a day of debates and negotiations. The Bureau also has longstanding relationships with many other international affairs and academic organizations further allowing the Department to engage in Model UN activities across the country, by providing expert speakers to participate in conferences, simulations, and training exercises. Photos: State Department Model UN Engagement

Environmental protection agency
- U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has moved since he took office last week to curb the flow of information from several government agencies involved in environmental issues, in actions that may have been designed to discourage dissenting views. Employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have seen directives from the newly minted leadership seeking to limit how they communicate to the public, according to multiple sources. The moves have reinforced concerns that Trump, a climate change doubter, could seek to sideline scientific research showing that carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming, as well as the career staffers at the agencies that conduct much of this research. All of the agencies affected by the actions have some input on issues related to the environment and have been involved in various efforts related to climate change, including effects on natural resources and human health. On Tuesday, a source at the EPA said that staff had been told by members of the Trump administration not to speak to reporters or publish any press releases or blog posts on social media. EPA staff have also been asked not to publicize any talks, conferences, or webinars that had been planned for the next 60 days, the staffer said, asking not to be named. Asked if the EPA had been gagged, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday: "I don't know ... we're looking into it. ... I don't think it's a surprise we're going to review the policies, but I don't have any info at this time." The agency also was asked by the White House on Monday to temporarily halt all contracts and grants pending a review, according to multiple sources. The EPA awards billions of dollars worth of grants and contracts every year to support programs around environmental testing, cleanups and research. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-idUSKBN15822X

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is an agency of the United States government responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector. CFPB jurisdiction includes banks, credit unions, securities firms, payday lenders, mortgage-servicing operations, foreclosure relief services, debt collectors and other financial companies operating in the United States.
The CFPB's creation was authorized by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, whose passage in 2010 was a legislative response to the financial crisis of 2007–08 and the subsequent Great Recession.[2] The CFPB was established as an independent agency, but this status is being reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals.
-  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cfpb-memo/trump-installed-consumer-agency-head-sets-hiring-freeze-halts-new-rules-idUSKBN1DR1UD The fight for control of the U.S. consumer watchdog agency intensified on Monday as Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), imposed a hiring freeze and halted any new regulations.In a partisan showdown over the CFPB, which was created to crack down on predatory financial practices, Mulvaney is being sued by Leandra English, an Obama-era appointee to the agency who argues that she is the consumer bureau’s rightful leader. The conflict began on Friday when Richard Cordray, a Democrat appointed CFPB director by then-President Barack Obama, formally resigned and named English, his chief of staff, as acting director. Hours later, Trump named Mulvaney, the current director of the White House budget office, as temporary head of the CFPB.

The Federal Statistical System of the United States is the decentralized network of federal agencies which produce data about the people, economy, natural resources, and infrastructure of the United States. 
- The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA programs cover data on coal, petroleum, natural gas, electric, renewable and nuclearenergy. EIA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. http://www.eia.gov/

  • The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 established EIA as the primary federal government authority on energy statistics and analysis, building upon systems and organizations first established in 1974 following the oil market disruption of 1973.



Senate
- 3个半华裔进国会创歷史wenwei 6nov14 a24, http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20141106/PDF/a9_screen.pdf

Army
- http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21704817-presence-american-troops-foreign-soil-growing-more-controversial-go-home


Peace corps
- The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government. The stated mission of the Peace Corps includes providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand American culture, and helping Americans to understand the cultures of other countries. The work is generally related to social and economic development. Each program participant, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen, typically with a college degree, who works abroad for a period of two years after three months of training.

pension
- 美国众议院13日以口头表决形式通过“瘦身”议案，削减退位总统长俸及相关花费。众议院是次通过的议案名为《总统津贴现代化法案》，但还要经过参议院批准、总统签字才能立法。提出议案的共和党议员海斯（Jody Hice）在游说期间提到，歷任总统退位后皆有能力在政府以外界别从事高薪工作，因此联邦政府有需要就1958年的津贴法案进行改革，以进一步平衡国库收支。他说：“前总统们卸任元首一职后，往往享有许多如出版书籍，及跻身私人企业董事局等挣钱机会。”他认为削减预算的计划势在必行。报道指，议案内容列明，联邦政府将为前任总统的津贴上限订为每年20万美元（约156万港元），相比现时数字，减幅少于4000美元（约3.1万港元）。然而，议案同时会将政府每年花于前总统办公室及其他相关人员的款项，设上限至50万美元（约390万港元），款项其后更会按年期递减。据悉，现时政府每年投放在前总统们的开支高达284万美元（约2200万港元）。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20171115/PDF/a11_screen.pdf
- https://www.ft.com/content/8a9bb4ba-9f3c-11e7-8cd4-932067fbf946 New York’s police and firefighter pension funds have invested about $127m in a quantitative hedge fund that specialises in providing protection at times of turmoil, underscoring the rising interest in so-called “crisis risk offset” programmes as the stock market marches to new highs. The New York City Police Pension Fund and the New York City Fire Department Pension Plan — which together manage more than $50bn — have allocated the money to Quest Partners, a $1.4bn New York-based hedge fund manager that uses computer-powered “positive convexity” strategies designed to do particularly well when markets are rocky.

shutdown
- 2019
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-24/tyson-foods-donates-685-000-meals-to-federal-workers-in-shutdown Tyson says it’s donating 85 metric tons of food to help with the increased demand for services during the shutdown. That includes three truckloads of chicken to the Capital Area Food Bank, 14,000 pounds of chicken to the DC Central Kitchen, which makes food for people in need, and a 40,000-pound mountain of chicken to the USO Warrior and Family Center at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, which will reach Coast Guard workers.Meanwhile, federal inspectors at meat plants aren’t getting paid - but companies like Tyson that rely on them can’t even buy them lunch or help in any way. That would be a conflict of interest, said Eric Mittenthal, a spokesman for the North American Meat Institute. There’s concern as the shutdown continues that there could be disruptions as inspectors continue to work without pay, but so far, plants are operating normally, he said. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, making a gift to an inspector can be considered a bribe punishable by as much as $10,000 in fines and three years in prison for both the giver and the recipient.
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