Office of External Affairs (2020 Presidential transition)

Book 3 - Organization Overview
Entire 2020 DOE Transition book As of October 2020

The NNSA Office of External Affairs consists of teams of highly trained, security cleared, congressional affairs, intergovernmental affairs, and public affairs specialists who work to effectively communicate, promote, and defend NNSA’s mission, goals, and budget. By building sustainable relationships with federal, state, tribal, and local stakeholders, and promoting strong engagement with the public through the media and social networks, NNSA’s Office of External Affairs supports NNSA’s entire nuclear security enterprise and promotes the President’s nuclear security agenda.

Mission Statement

To effectively communicate, promote, and defend the mission, goals, and budget of NNSA through proactive outreach and sustainable relationship building with federal, state, tribal, and local stakeholders, and with the public through the media

Budget

The NNSA Office of External Affairs budget is funded through the NNSA Federal Salaries and Expenses account. The budget below reflects the amount that was allotted to the office from the NNSA Office of Management and Budget .

Budget

Fiscal Year	Budget
FY 2019 enacted	$4,312,000
FY 2020 enacted	$3,492,000
FY 2021 requested	$3,535,000

Human Resources

FY 2020 authorized full-time equivalents (FTEs): 21

History

The NNSA Office of External Affairs was created in 2011 as part of an NNSA reorganization.

This brought key external communications

Offices together into one agency-level, associate administrator-led office.

Functions

NNSA’s Office of External Affairs has three distinct offices and one program: the Offices of Congressional Affairs , Office of Public Affairs , and Office of Intergovernmental Affairs ; and the Nuclear Emergency Communications Program , which handles external and strategic communications on behalf of NNSA.

Office of Congressional Affairs (NA-EA-10, CA)

The Office of Congressional Affairs provides oversight, management, and direction of legislative strategies in connection with NNSA’s policy and program initiatives and ensures that NNSA’s positions are properly communicated with Congress. CA provides advice and guidance to NNSA leadership on policy issues and Members’ interests and concerns and facilitates accurate and timely responses to Congress.

Office of Public Affairs (NA-EA-20, PA)

The Office of Public Affairs is the principal point of contact for NNSA with the news media and the general public. It is responsible for ensuring that the public is informed about NNSA’s activities. Its functions include communicating NNSA messaging, policies, initiatives, and information to the news media and the general public; managing and coordinating public affairs activities for NNSA headquarters, field offices and sites, including NNSA laboratories; serving as the primary spokesperson for NNSA; responding to requests for information from the public and the news media; arranging interviews with the news media; preparing written press releases about NNSA activities and sharing NNSA highlights with the news media and the general public; managing NNSA’s public-facing digital presence on Energy.gov and social media; and producing multimedia content that tells the story of NNSA to a general public audience.

Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (NA-EA-30, IGA)

The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs maintains ongoing communications with governors, state legislators, tribal officials, and local officials across the country. IGA proactively engages stakeholders to ensure that their views are considered as part of NNSA’s decision-making process. IGA also communicates routinely with all relevant stakeholders on NNSA announcements, initiatives, proposals, and grants, and assures appropriate follow-up.

Nuclear Emergency Communications Program

This program was established within NNSA’s Office of External Affairs in September 2019 as a result of a realignment of functions from the NNSA Office of Emergency Operations . It is aligned to the NNSA Office of External Affairs front office. This program helps to ensure that NNSA provides effective communications in the event of a radiological or nuclear emergency. It does so by executing readiness and training programs that provide response officials (e.g., public information officers) with the necessary background and experience to operate in an emergency environment.

Recent Organization Accomplishments

Defended NNSA’s FY2021 President’s Budget Request during three budget hearings in FY 2020 (HASC-SF, HEWD, SASC)

Received key authorizations called for in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review.

Developed an outreach communications plan that included media advisories, news releases, social media campaigns, and pitching to media, which included garnering earned media interviews and coverage leading up to two NNSA virtual job fairs.

Pitched and secured two Associated Press articles garnering wide/extensive nationwide coverage for NNSA:

NNSA Administrator Summer Tour: visits to the nuclear security enterprise.
NNS A hosting of Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control (SPEAC), Ambassador Billingslea.
Pitched and secured CBS TV exclusive one-on-one media interview with the NNSA Administrator, yielding primetime TV coverage while she visited the National Security Site and the National Atomic Testing Museum.
Contained negative media coverage as a result of cesium release event where NNSA deployed an ongoing rotation of public information officers over a period of many months.

Leadership Challenges

Balancing proactive outreach strategy with workload related to increasing interest and requests for information (i.e., due principally to the modernization efforts that are ongoing) from congressional, state, tribal, and local stakeholders.

Ensuring proper involvement of NNSA Office of External Affairs in activities that have external communications requirements led by other NNSA offices.