There is hereby established a fellowship program pursuant to which the Secretary of State will provide fellowships to United States citizens while they serve, for a period of between one and two years, in positions which would otherwise be held by foreign national employees at United States diplomatic or consular missions abroad.

Fellowships under this chapter shall be known as “Fascell Fellowships”.

Fellowships under this chapter shall be provided in order to allow the recipient (hereafter in this chapter referred to as a “Fellow”) to serve on a short-term basis at a United States diplomatic or consular mission abroad in order to obtain first hand exposure to that country, including (as appropriate) independent study in that country’s area studies or languages.

To receive a fellowship under this chapter, an individual must be a United States citizen who is an undergraduate or graduate student, a teacher, scholar, or other academic, or an other individual, who has expertise in international affairs, foreign languages, or career and professional experience or interest in international affairs, and who has a working knowledge of the principal language of the country in which he or she would serve.

In carrying out this section, the Secretary of State shall actively recruit women and members of minority groups.