Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations
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The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations is the branch of the United States Department of State charged with constructing, purchasing, and maintaining buildings and real estate in other countries. In this role, it is responsible for building and maintaining facilities for American embassies and consulates.
The organization was founded as the Office of Foreign Building Operations, commonly called the FBO. In the 1950s, it achieved a high profile by hiring well-known modernist architects like Ralph Rapson, Harrison & Abramovitz, and Gordon Bunshaft. In the wake of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut and the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, its focus has shifted from aesthetics to security.
In 2001 the Bureau was given its current name when it was upgraded to Bureau level within the Department. As of 2005, the Bureau's director is Major General Charles E. Williams, US Army, Retired.
External links
- Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (http://www.state.gov/obo/) - from the State Department website.