THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | APRIL-MAY 2025 57 FS KNOW-HOW A Brief RIF EXPLAINER We’ve faced RIFs in the past. One FSO dug into the FAM to learn about the legal parameters of reductions in force. BY DAVID ROBERTS David Roberts is a third-tour Foreign Service political officer, part of a tandem, currently serving in Pretoria. The opinions in this article are his own. The U.S. Department of State last effected a reduction in force (RIF) for Foreign Service officers in the early 1990s—before many of today’s most seasoned diplomats joined the Service. The department nearly went through it again in 2017, in response to direction from then-Secretary Rex Tillerson and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney to trim the overall budget by 34 percent. At the time, the department—with support from AFSA—was able to stave off the threat of a RIF by implementing other budget cuts and a departmentwide hiring freeze. So how would a RIF work, anyway? The Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended and implemented by 3 FAM 2580, offers a clear legal framework for implementing a reduction in force. What Happens During a RIF? The Secretary of State holds the primary authority to conduct reductions in force within the Foreign Service. This authority is explicitly outlined in Section 611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, which broadly authorizes the Secretary to order a RIF for the purpose, inter alia, of effecting “organizational changes.” In practice, the Secretary, in consultation with senior staff and the Director General, determines the need for such organizational changes—likely in response to budgetary constraints or as directed by the president. During the 2017 review, for example, the department froze spousal employment as it determined whether a RIF would be necessary. Prior to making a RIF determination, the department can choose to take other force-shaping measures, like incentivizing voluntary retirements. In the past, most agencies haven’t jumped straight to RIFs, instead implementing hiring freezes and offering voluntary retirement and separation incentives to mitigate the need for involuntary separations. After determining the need for a RIF, the next step is to identify changes to the organizational structure and the positions affected. For example, a directive to cut personnel by 30 percent would prompt a review to determine which domestic offices and overseas posts could be consolidated and downsized, and which positions should be eliminated. Following this, the Director General determines how such a reorganization would affect the department and decides how many positions in each competitive class and Foreign Service cone and specialty would be eliminated. The Secretary must then analyze and justify the implications of a RIF to Congress.
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