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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
March 31, 1999

The Department of State’s Y2K Efforts

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget established today as the date for all federal agencies to ensure that their mission-critical systems are Y2K-compliant.. We are pleased to announce that 56 of the 59 mission-critical systems (95%) of the Department of State are Y2K-compliant. All of the Department’s mission-critical systems will be Y2K-compliant and fully implemented worldwide before May 15. Additionally, the Department of State is developing contingency plans, both domestically and abroad, to ensure continued operations through the turn of the millennium.

The Department of State faces many challenges in deploying major Y2K-compliant systems to our Embassies and Consulates around the world. The logistics of installing systems globally involve complex schedules of procurement, secure shipments of equipment, and travel of installation teams of cleared American citizens. These systems support mission-critical functions such as issuing passports and protecting American citizens as they travel abroad; pursuing the United States’ political, economic, and security interests; and ensuring the safety of our own staff and facilities.

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