The Foreign Service Journal, May 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2019 17 and has hindered department commu- nications by adding a layer of bureau- cracy to official messaging. Details of the merger will be outlined for State Department employees in mid-April. Closing in on State’s “Ethos” O n April 4, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent an internal message to department employees saying that as he approaches the one-year anniver- sary of his appointment as Secretary, he remains determined to get the depart- ment swaggering again. “We are closing in on defining our own ‘ethos’—the qualities that reflect the spirit and excellence of the U.S. Department of State and all of us who serve our country as part of this team,” Sec. Pompeo wrote. “This ‘ethos’ will be captured in an inspirational and aspirational statement. And it will serve as the foundation for our training, how we recognize superior performance, how we develop our next generation of leaders, and more.” Officials working on the project with Pompeo told The Washington Times that it will be a blueprint for breaking what the Secretary sees as decades-old bar- riers between services within the State Department, as well as a plan for how to more effectively train and educate incoming officials and generally restore confidence inside Foggy Bottom. n This edition of Talking Points was compiled by Donna Gorman, Shawn Dorman and Susan Maitra.