Foreword

In the fall of 2014, in the wake of a failed hostage rescue operation, courageous journalists and aid workers were brutally murdered by the terrorist group known as the Islamic State (ISIS). The brightest of lights, among the best of their respective generations, extinguished in the dark horror of ISIS’ evil. The anguish and the anger of their families—that the government had not done enough to bring their loved ones home safely, that its structures and policies were opaque and confusing, that it had not treated them with the respect and attention that they deserved—were all justified and led President Barack Obama to direct a comprehensive review of U.S. hostage policy. At the time, I was serving as the Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council staff, responsible for the development and coordination of counterterrorism and hostage policy. My team and I were tasked to lead the policy process governing the review. It was the most demanding and emotionally-wrenching mission I would take on in a career spanning nearly three decades of public service. It was also one of the most important.

Informed by the tremendous efforts of an interagency team of senior officials from across the U.S. government and led by Lieutenant General Bennet Sacolick of the National Counterterrorism Center, the review focused on four major areas:

• U.S. government coordination
• Engagement with families and external stakeholders
• Intelligence sharing and collection
• U.S. policy

The review team, which conducted extensive interviews with former hostages and families of hostages, noted in particular that, “the courageous and generous contributions received from numerous families who shared their concerns and their experiences…reinforced the critical importance of a comprehensive, coordinated, and coherent approach to hostage recovery efforts.”¹

Based on the team’s key findings and recommendations, on June 24, 2015, President Obama introduced a series of reforms designed to reimagine how the U.S. government handles hostage cases and to improve its effectiveness in bringing home American hostages. Presidential Policy Directive-30 (PPD-30), “U.S. Nationals Taken Hostage Abroad and Personnel Recovery Efforts,” set forth a renewed, more agile U.S. government response to hostage-takings, which included a recognition that the government may communicate with hostage-takers to secure the safe recovery of a hostage. With respect to family engagement in particular, the review team highlighted the need for a “new paradigm” that not only focuses on providing support services to the family but also prioritizes continual collaboration with the family in the safe recovery of the hostage, since “no one has a greater stake in the response than the hostage and his or her family.” In announcing the new policy during a meeting with many of the hostage families, the President acknowledged that the government had let them down, emphasizing: “We can do better.” The new policy reflected this imperative.

Structural changes were also needed to ensure the U.S. government was set up to handle these complex cases. Executive Order 13698 directed critical organizational changes to ensure that the government was well organized to take rapid, coordinated action in response to a hostage-taking event. These management innovations included the establishment of a Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) to focus full-time on the development and execution of individualized recovery strategies for Americans held hostage overseas; a Hostage Response Group, chaired by the National Security Council Staff at the White House, to provide policy guidance to the HRFC and accountability to the highest levels of the U.S. government; an Issue Manager for Hostage Affairs within the Intelligence Community to ensure focused and prioritized intelligence support for hostage cases; the appointment of a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, based at the Department of State, to lead diplomatic efforts on all U.S. hostage-related matters; and the establishment of a Family Engagement Coordinator to help provide consistent, coordinated support and information to families of hostages.

While the new policy and structural changes were important, the true measure of the review’s success would always be in the actual impact the reforms would achieve over time. And so, under Executive Order 13698, the U.S. government was required to conduct two separate reviews; one a report on the status of the HRFC six months after its establishment, the other an update on the full implementation of the Executive Order a year after its issue. The latter report, published on September 30, 2016, found that the new policy and organizational structures had improved coordination on hostage recovery and support for hostage families, but also identified several recommendations for further improvement for consideration by the next administration.

This assessment, conducted by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, is the first non-governmental review of the implementation of PPD-30 and Executive Order 13698. Intended to inform continued discussions on the government’s provision of support to U.S. hostages and their families, as well as those Americans detained unlawfully abroad, it provides an important new perspective, conducted from the point of view of former U.S. hostages and family members of current and former U.S. hostages. Their views reinforce the importance of the partnership embodied in the notion of the “new paradigm,” an effort to ensure that this new model of engagement is sustained constructively and collaboratively over time.

As noted in the assessment, four years after the implementation of the findings of the 2015 Hostage Policy Review, progress has indeed been made, resulting—most importantly—in the safe return of dozens of Americans held unjustly around the world. And while we celebrate those who have returned, we must acknowledge the many others whose freedom is still denied, and we must ensure that the policies and structures established to enable their safe return remain vibrant and well-resourced and that their efforts continue to be prioritized at the very highest levels of the U.S. government.

Until every American held unjustly abroad has returned home safely, we can, indeed, always do better.

Jen Easterly

Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism

National Security Council Staff, The White House