24 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL organization that would resonate with the American people and effectively engage with U.S. allies and partners. The tone and tenor of the new administration put all that at risk. The rejection of DEI principles will hinder State’s efforts to innovate by discouraging a broader segment of society to join up. The Trump administration suspended the paid internship program and the Presidential Management Fellows program, both of which were important tools to recruit new and diverse staff into the department. The disparagement of the workforce will further alienate current employees, stifle innovation and ideation, and hamper recruitment efforts. The dramatic, rapid reorganization of the department could put critical missions at risk. The previous administration’s focused investment on relationships in the Indo-Pacific, including opening new embassies, seems to have been put on hold, which could upend the progress made in developing those critical relationships. The recent firing of 1,300 employees from the department was jarring and demoralizing. And congressional efforts to significantly cut foreign assistance will inhibit State’s ability to advance soft power, potentially allowing our strategic competitors (e.g., Russia and China) to gain more influence globally, edging out our access to allies, partners, and critical resources. e Having worked at State for more than 13 years and on its reform for nearly two years, I am clear-eyed on the need for changes in the department. But thoughtful, deliberate, internally driven change was the approach we took under Secretary Blinken. The effects of the chaotic, rushed, top-down, and politically motivated reforms by this administration remain to be seen. I expect that the department will flounder; may suffer a brain drain, especially at the entry and most senior levels; and will again present to future administrations a department that is in urgent need for deep reform—and modernization. n Having worked at State for more than 13 years and on its reform for nearly two years, I am clear-eyed on the need for changes in the department. But … One issue being debated was the reporting structure for the new bureau. Several congressional staff members wanted the bureau to report directly to the Secretary, arguing that was the only way to ensure “visibility,” suggesting at times that this reporting structure would include physical proximity to the Secretary, when most members of the bureau were in fact located in a separate building from Main State. The antagonisms between State and its congressional committees breed distrust, secrecy, and frustration on both sides. Other agencies work differently with Congress. As a deputy assistant secretary for Defense, I had monthly meetings with congressional staff during which we briefed current counterterrorism policies and operations. From the start, I found that the relationship DoD had with its committees was, in general, more transparent, forthcoming, and collaborative, and, in turn, the committees’ staff were respectful and trusting of their DoD counterparts and the information shared. State has a program through which FSOs can serve on the Hill for a year, and when I left, State was piloting bringing those officers back into the Bureau of Legislative Affairs for a year to benefit from the insights and understanding they gained. I would encourage State and its congressional oversight committees to explore a program that would allow Hill staff to serve in the department for a year to gain a better understanding of the internal mechanics at State. Politics. Organizations must constantly evolve. But State is often subject to the whim of shifting administrations, so much so that its evolution is stop/start—discontinuous and jerky. During his tenure, Secretary Blinken and his team oversaw significant changes across the Department of State. His diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, focus on increasing the use of data to inform decision-making, efforts to engage and empower the workforce to innovate and evolve, and reorientation of the department toward the challenges of today (and the future)—all put the department on a trajectory to become an
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