Ten years after the inaugural launch of OSAC in Washington D.C. its India Country Council commenced gatherings. This week marked the 17th of such meetings, bringing RSOs and constituents from across India and its 6 OSAC chapters for its Annual General Meeting. Joining them this year were members of the OSAC leadership and RISC teams, converging once again from diverse places around the globe. This year the rotating General Meeting was held in New Delhi, which just celebrated its 100th anniversary as the nation’s Capital. We convened at the U.S. Embassy, a building somewhat reminiscent of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., located on a sprawling compound tucked in the heart of the diplomatic enclave of this beautiful city designed in 1911 by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
As is often the case of such regional Country Councils, the highlight of this gathering were security updates offered by RSOs from the U.S. Consulates in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata. We also heard from Embassy staff representing Consular Affairs, the FBI, Foreign Commercial Service, and Political Affairs. Understandably, reviews of acts of terrorism which have captured the headlines of late were at the heart of much of what we discussed.