-
News, information, and occasional comments about the U.S. Foreign Service are posted here, to keep readers of current on what has happened since the book went to press. (Read more...)
Author Archives: HWK
Senate Appropriators Agree on State/USAID Funding for FY2013
On April 19 the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $53 billion for Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs — the State-USAID complex. Of the total, $3.2 billion is identified as funds for overseas contingency operations (OCO), essentially Iraq, Afghanistan, … Continue reading
“State of Disrepair” – a new book by Kori Schake
Kori N. Schake, a Defense Department, National Security Council, and State Department official in the George W. Bush administration, has written a short, strong critique of the culture, leadership, management, and skills of the Department of State. Ms. Schake directs … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Hiring in 2012, 2013
Secretary Clinton’s Diplomacy 3.0 initiative, launched in 2009, called for increasing the size of the foreign service by 25 percent in five years, by the end of fiscal year 2013. Despite budget pressures, by the end of FY 2012 the … Continue reading
Breaking Down the Budget
The administration has asked Congress for $56.4 billion for spending on international affairs, including $51.6 billion for State and USAID, in fiscal year 2013. The figure for State and USAID represents an increase of about $789 million or 1.5 percent … Continue reading
Posted in Budgets and resources, Hiring
Leave a comment
State, Defense agree on personnel exchanges
The Departments of State and Defense have reached a formal agreement — a memorandum of understanding (MOU) — on exchanges of personnel between the two agencies. Under the agreement, State will provide almost 90 foreign policy advisors (POLADs) to the … Continue reading
Foreign Ag Service Closes Posts
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) will close its posts in Stockholm and Damascus to save money. The closings are a small part of a much larger cost-cutting plan that Secretary Vilsack announced on January 10, 2012, under the name Blueprint … Continue reading
State, USAID Receive Appropriations for FY 2012
Appropriations for State and USAID for fiscal year 2012 were included in the omnibus spending bill that Congress passed on December 17. Total appropriations for State and Foreign Operations were $42.1 billion, about 12.5 percent below FY 2011 and 17 … Continue reading
Economic officers wanted!
Secretary Clinton wants to raise the profile of economic diplomacy in American foreign policy, and of economic officers in the foreign service. She has given a series of four speeches promoting the idea that “economic strength and our global leadership … Continue reading
Curious about the Foreign Service? Want to know what do diplomats do?
The Department of State has launched a new website called “Discover Diplomacy.” Pitched mostly at a high school level, the site focuses on people, places, and issues: who American diplomats are, where they work, and what they do. It’s a … Continue reading
Posted in Hiring, Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Budgets and staffing
October 1 is New Year’s Day, at least for those whose lives are measured in fiscal years. No one at the Department of State is toasting the occasion. The new fiscal year, FY 2012, is certain to bring deep cuts … Continue reading