AFSA Commemorates the U.S. Foreign Service and 100 Years of American Diplomacy

Washington, D.C. – May 24, 2024 – Today, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) marks the 100th anniversary of the enactment of the Rogers Act, the landmark legislation that established the modern United States Foreign Service. This pivotal moment in American history combined our diplomatic and consular services and established a professional corps, providing that the most skilled and dedicated individuals would be chosen to represent our nation's interests abroad. Read More...

AFSA Announces Centennial Honorary Committee

January 17, 2024, Washington, D.C. – This year, both the United States Foreign Service and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) will celebrate their centennial year. This remarkable milestone provides an opportunity to honor our diplomats and development professionals and a time to reflect on the importance of diplomacy in American history. Perhaps most importantly, it gives us an occasion to think about what the next 100 years will bring for our global leadership role. Read More...

New AFSA Board Takes Office

July 17, 2023, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association welcomes new leadership as the professional association and labor union’s new Governing Board begins its two-year term today. Read More...

AFSA Statement on the Suspension of VOA's Steve Herman from Twitter

December 16, 2022, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) The American Foreign Service Association calls for Twitter to immediately reinstate the account of VOA News correspondent Steve Herman. Mr. Herman is a career member of the United States Foreign Service and a member of the AFSA Governing Board. Read More...

AFSA Statement on Concerns Regarding New Foreign Service Exam

April 26, 2022, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is deeply concerned about fundamental changes announced by the State Department to the Foreign Service Officer (FSO) admissions process. Read More...

AFSA Mourns the Passing of Madeleine Albright

March 23, 2022, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association mourns the passing of former Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright. Read More...

AFSA President’s Statement on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

February 24, 2022, Washington, D.C. – As fervent believers in the primacy of diplomacy as the principal alternative to war and the human suffering it brings, we watched in horror as Russia shattered the post-WWI and post-Cold War settlements that came out of them: no forcible change of borders, respect for every nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and rejection of historical grievances as a cause for aggression and violence. Read More...

AFSA Mourns Passing of Former Secretary of State Colin Powell

October 18, 2021, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association, the professional association and labor union of the United States Foreign Service, greatly mourns the passing of former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Read More...

AFSA Welcomes Secretary of State Blinken

January 26, 2021, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and exclusive bargaining agent of the United States Foreign Service, welcomes the Senate’s confirmation of Antony Blinken as our nation’s 71st Secretary of State. Read More...

AFSA Calls on Sec. Pompeo to Act on FSGB Nominations

December 14, 2020, Washington, D.C. – AFSA calls on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to fulfill his statutory responsibility (22 U.S.C. 4135b) to make appointments to the Foreign Service Grievance Board (FSGB). Eight seats on that board have been vacant since October 1 due to inaction on their nominations. Read More...

AFSA Statement on Planned Holiday Events at the Department of State

December 4, 2020, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association is very concerned to see reports of plans to host holiday parties with hundreds of invitees at the Department of State. Read More...

AFSA Statement on the Politicization of the U.S. Agency for Global Media

October 27, 2020, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association, the professional association and labor union of the women and men of the U.S. Foreign Service in six Federal agencies, stands in solidarity with our members in the U.S. Agency for Global Media in response to the October 26 action by agency management to eliminate the journalistic "firewall" and to politicize news coverage by USAGM media organizations. Read More...

AFSA Welcomes Supreme Court Decision on LGBTIQ Workplace Protections

June 18, 2020, Washington, D.C. – AFSA welcomes the Supreme Court’s verdict in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia declaring that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. AFSA believes in equal civil rights for all Americans and this brings us a step closer to that goal. Read More...

AFSA Statement on Conviction of Metin Topuz

June 15, 2020, Washington, D.C. – Ambassador Eric Rubin, President of the American Foreign Service Association, issued the following statement today: Read More...

Honoring Our Foreign Service

November 18, 2019, Washington, D.C. – Ambassador Eric Rubin, President of the American Foreign Service Association, offers the following comment: Read More...

The Importance of a Non-Partisan Career Foreign Service

September 26, 2019, Washington, D.C. – At this time of great stress and rancor in our national political life, the American Foreign Service Association calls on all Americans to honor and respect the non-partisan, non-political work of the dedicated public servants of the U.S. Foreign Service. Read More...

AFSA Welcomes New Policy to Support Foreign Service Families with Special Needs Children

July 2, 2019, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association welcomes the announcement of new guidance that clarifies Department of State policy with regard to members of the Foreign Service with children with special educational needs. The new policy explicitly encourages these members “to bid on and serve in foreign assignments,” declaring that “[it] is in the Department’s interest to facilitate the overseas capacity of our workforce, but more important, it is our ethos to put our people first.” Read More...

AFSA Statement on Medical Concerns Regarding Cuba and China

July 3, 2018, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and labor union of the United States Foreign Service, continues to monitor reports about medical concerns related to unspecified incidents at U.S. Embassy Havana and U.S. Consulate Guangzhou. Read More...

Foreign Service Promotions

September 1, 2017, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association, the principal advocate for the long-term well-being of the Foreign Service as an institution, staunchly defends the rigors of the military-style “up-or-out” system established in the Foreign Service Act. Even though it means pain for individual members of the Service, the majority of whom are “separated” (forced to leave the Service) long before they would prefer, the up-or-out system produces a highly disciplined, high-performing diplomatic corps. Read More...

Statement on Attacks on U.S. Diplomatic Personnel in Cuba

September 1, 2017, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and labor union of the United States Foreign Service, is concerned about “sonic harassment” attacks reported against U.S. diplomatic personnel and their families at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. This week, AFSA representatives met and spoke with ten members of the Foreign Service who experienced damage to their health as a result of these attacks. Diagnoses include mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss, with such additional symptoms as loss of balance, severe headaches, cognitive disruption, and brain swelling. Read More...

Statement on Senior Personnel Changes at the Department of State

January 26, 2017, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and labor union of the United States Foreign Service, is aware of press reports of resignations, retirements and rotations within the Department of State’s senior management team. While this appears to be a large turnover in a short period of time, a change of administration always brings personnel changes, and there is nothing unusual about rotations or retirements in the Foreign Service. Indeed, both are essential to the development of a steady stream of experienced leaders ready to assume critical roles at State. Read More...

Statement on Federal Hiring Freeze

January 25, 2017, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and labor union of the United States Foreign Service, supports strong American global leadership, as do nine in ten Americans. The January 23 Executive Order imposing a freeze on federal hiring has the potential to weaken the Foreign Service and undermine America’s global leadership. Read More...

AFSA Marks Third Anniversary of Benghazi Attacks

September 11, 2015, Washington, D.C. – On the third anniversary of the attacks on our diplomatic facility on Benghazi, Libya, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) honors the memory of our four fallen colleagues: Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Information Management Officer Sean P. Smith, and security officers Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. Read More...

New AFSA Board Takes Office

July 15, 2015, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association welcomes new leadership as the professional association and union’s 29-person Governing Board begins its two-year term today. Incoming President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson comes to AFSA from her position as Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute. Read More...

AFSA Calls for Strong Support for Foreign Service Personnel Working to Fight Ebola in West Africa

October 23, 2014, Washington, D.C. – The men and women of America's Foreign Service are on the front line of the fight against Ebola in West Africa, alongside members of the U.S. military and American citizens representing non-governmental organizations, international aid groups and religious assistance groups. Their efforts are crucial to containing the disease in the region. Read More...

Ambassadorial Nominees Must Be Confirmed in the Interest of U.S. Foreign Relations

July 11, 2014, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association urges the immediate confirmation of all qualified nominees for U.S. ambassadorships currently languishing in the Senate. The continued absence of a confirmed United States Ambassador in over 50 countries around the world damages America's bilateral relationships and undermines U.S. foreign policy efforts. Read More...

AFSA Works with White House and State Department to Increase Transparency of Ambassador Nominations

April 4, 2014, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) has come to an agreement with the Administration that both parties believe will increase transparency in the ambassadorial nomination process. Moving forward, the "certificates of demonstrated competence," a document produced for each ambassadorial nominee to comply with the Foreign Service Act of 1980, will be published on the State Department's web site when a nominee is announced. Read More...

AFSA Supports A Uniform Set of Qualifications for Ambassador Nominees

February 14, 2014, Washington, D.C. – The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) is closely monitoring the recent Senate confirmation hearings of President Obama's nominees to be U.S. ambassador. The topic of the qualifications of ambassadorial nominees is of great interest to AFSA's membership. All Americans have a vested interest in ensuring that we have the most effective leaders and managers of U.S. embassies and missions advancing U.S. interests around the globe. Read More...