Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (S/OBO) is an agency of the United States Department of State charged with constructing, purchasing, and maintaining buildings and real estate in other countries. It is responsible for building and maintaining U.S. diplomatic mission facilities, including embassies and consulate buildings.
The organization was founded as the Office of Foreign Building Operations (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 United States Embassy bombing in Beirut and the 1998 United States 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 Charles E. Williams, a retired United States Army major general.
