Antony Blinken

• Federal institutional strength: no baloney

  Rule of law is most important when confronted with lawlessness, small or massive.

  Tom Temin Commentary

  March 09, 2022
• ‘Model diplomats’: State Dept. honors Foreign Service families’ volunteer work overseas

  Ambassadors and diplomats aren’t the only ones who further the mission of the State Department’s Foreign Service.

  Workforce

  November 24, 2021
• State Dept. CDO makes diversity top management priority under data strategy

  The State Department, as part of an agency-wide modernization effort, is focused on using its vast inventory to further its diplomatic mission.

  Big Data

  November 12, 2021
• State Dept. names new coordinator on ‘Havana Syndrome’ cases

  The State Department has named a new coordinator for its investigation into cases of so-called Havana Syndrome

  Workforce

  November 05, 2021
• State Dept. highlights workforce goals as part of ‘historic’ modernization strategy

  The State Department is building up its cybersecurity and IT expertise, and addressing workforce morale issues as part of a sweeping modernization of the agency.

  Workforce

  October 27, 2021
• State, Commerce data strategies underpin broader agency goals

  The State Department and Commerce Department are both launching strategies to maximize the use of their data.

  Big Data

  September 28, 2021
• A Tuesday like no other: State Dept. remembers its 9/11 first responders and a new generation of diplomats

  As part of our special report, “A Tuesday like no other,” we spoke with members of the State Department about how Sept. 11 impacted them.

  Workforce

  September 10, 2021
• State Dept. staffing surge won’t address passport backlog overnight, union warns

  Lawmakers are pressing the State Department to move more aggressively to address a backlog of as many as 2 million pending passport applications.

  Hiring/Retention

  July 22, 2021
• Former State Department leaders urge Congress to address chronic Foreign Service workforce challenges

  Former department leaders said the Foreign Service risks losing future generations of talent unless it modernizes its up-or-out culture and develops a more inclusive workforce.

  Hiring/Retention

  July 21, 2021
• State Department seeks largest hiring surge in a decade under Biden budget

  The State Department would add 500 new Foreign and Civil Service positions to its ranks, if it gets the outlined $58.5 billion budget.

  Hiring/Retention

  June 07, 2021
• ‘Diplomacy is a dangerous occupation’ — State Dept adds 71 names to memorial wall

  The State Department and the American Foreign Service Association added 71 names of the fallen this year to a memorial plaque in the lobby of the department’s headquarters. The names span generations of federal service.

  Workforce

  May 21, 2021
• Elevated State Dept. chief diversity officer looks to move needle on decades-long challenges

  State Department Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley says her top priority is “restoring trust” in a workforce that has seen diversity and inclusion efforts fall by the wayside across multiple administrations.

  Hiring/Retention

  May 03, 2021
• State Dept adds 1,200 to Foreign Service ranks under Democrats’ $12B budget plan

  To keep the State Department staffed and prepared to handle this expanded cyber diplomacy role, House and Senate Democrats are calling for a $12 billion increase in foreign affairs spending.

  Budget

  March 18, 2021
• Biden makes cybersecurity ‘top priority’ in national security guidance

  Following the SolarWinds breach, the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance seeks to impose “substantial costs through cyber and noncyber means” on the perpetrators of advanced cyber threats.

  Cybersecurity

  March 04, 2021