About the Foreign Service

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About the Foreign Service

Members of the U.S. Foreign Service are nonpartisan public servants charged with carrying out and guiding U.S. foreign policy. There are more than 16,000 Foreign Service members who work in six U.S. government agencies. Posted in 276 locations around the world, members of the Foreign Service are our eyes and ears on the ground.

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Diplomatic Security is the security arm of the State Department whose work includes counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybersecurity, and criminal investigations.

DS team and Costa Rican law enforcement work together to stop a human trafficking ring.

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Development is one of the four pillars of the U.S. National Security Strategy. The U.S. Agency for International Development is the world’s leading development agency and plays an important role in furthering U.S. interests and protecting our national security.

USAID earthquake relief work in Haiti.

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Foreign Service officers at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) work to protect U.S. agriculture from invasive pests and diseases.

APHIS team looks over avocado fields in Colombia.

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Interested in learning more?
AFSA has some resources to help.

Who are we?

Start here to learn more about who members of the Foreign Service are, what they do, and where they work.

Video: COVID-19 Response

As coronavirus spread, diplomats helped repatriate more than 100,000 Americans from 136 countries and territories around the world. Watch more videos here.

Read Our Stories

These stories provide first-hand accounts of the Foreign Service on the front lines.

For more information, check out The Foreign Service Journal, AFSA’s flagship publication,
and Inside a U.S. Embassy, an essential guide to the Foreign Service.

More Resources

Articles and Podcasts

We keep an eye out for articles and podcasts about the lives and work of the members of the Foreign Service. Click here for a full list.

Speakers

AFSA has a cadre of experienced speakers.

Click here to arrange for a speaker.

Helpful Links