The Unravelling of the U.S. Foreign Service

 Lawfare Daily published on 14 January 2026 an interview titled "The U.S. Foreign Service at a 'Breaking Point' with John Dinkelman."

John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association and a 37-year veteran of the State Department, describes the dismal state of affairs in the U.S. Foreign Service today.

Comment:  I also spent 37-years in the U.S. Foreign Service, albeit in an earlier period than Dinkelman, and find it heart-breaking to learn what is happening to an organization that I love and respect.  

Career Officers Seeking Ambassadorships: Hibernate for at Least Three Years

 The National Journal published on 12 January 2026 an article titled "Trump's Ambassadors Are Largely Political Appointees" by Ledyard King.

As of January 1, 2026, 64 of the 70 nominated ambassadors--91 percent--have been political choices based on their ties to the Trump administration or the amount of money they donated to the Trump campaign.  In a normal administration, at the end of four years, the ratio is about two-thirds career officers and one-third political appointees.  

Comment:  While the percentage of political appointees to career officers may change over the next three years, the outlook for career Foreign Service officers is pretty dismal.  

The Administration's Campaign against Career Ambassadors

 The Mining Journal published on 2 January 2026 an editorial titled "Trump's Mass Firing of Diplomats a Danger to US Standing."

At full complement, the United States has about 195 ambassadorships.  Just before Christmas, the Trump administration fired 30 career ambassadors (as opposed to ambassadors appointed because of their political connections or campaign contributions).  When added to the already 79 ambassadorial vacancies, this means that more than half of America's ambassadorial positions are now vacant.  The editorial makes the point that so many ambassadorial vacancies provide an opportunity for adversaries like China and Russia to gain foreign policy advantages.

Comment:  The overwhelming number of ambassadors appointed by the Trump administration so far have been political appointees.  The prospect for career Foreign Service Officers to become ambassadors appears bleak, which contributes to the current demoralization of the career service.   

Destroying American Diplomacy

 The Steady State published on 5 December 2025 a commentary titled "Destroying American Diplomacy: Pulling Down Our First Line of Defense" by Charles A. Ray, who spent 20 years in the US Army and 30 years in the US State Department as a Foreign Service Officer and two-time ambassador.  

Ray details how the Trump administration, as it seeks to end the so-called "deep state," is destroying the State Department and US Foreign Service in the process.

U.S. Foreign Service at the Breaking Point

 The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) posted on 3 December 2025 a survey titled "At the Breaking Point: The State of the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025."

AFSA polled all of its active-duty members and received a response from 2,100 or about one-third of the total.  The results reflect a crisis developing in the organization where I served for 37 years.  

Some 86 percent of respondents said changes in the workplace since January 2025 have affected their ability to advance U.S. diplomatic priorities.  A whopping 98 percent reported poor morale.  Nearly one-third reported changing their career plans since January 2025.

US State Department: How Not to Manage a Bureaucracy

 The New York Times published on 2 December 2025 an article titled "U.S. Diplomats Report Broken Morale and Abandoned Careers" by Michael Crowley.

A recent American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) survey of 2,100 State Department diplomats reported that 98 percent believe workplace morale has fallen since the Trump administration took power in January.  Only 1 percent reported an improvement in the situation in the State Department.  

CNN covered the same report on 3 December 2025 in an article titled "Trump Administration Changes Have Left US Diplomats Demoralized and Less Able to Do Their Jobs, Report Says" by Jennifer Hansler.

CNN quotes the president of AFSA as saying: "The Foreign Service--the very institution tasked with navigating our global interests--is being dismantled in real time."  Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised State Department personnel when he first arrived.  There is now a belief he has turned his back on them.  

State Department Firings Listed by Bureau and Office

 Federal News Network posted on 25 July 2025 an article titled "These Are the State Department Offices Hit Hardest by Widespread Layoffs" by Jory Heckman.

The State Department fired 1,350 employees earlier this month.  This is a detailed account of the number of fired employees in 31 bureaus and offices according to civil service or foreign service status.  

Thanks to Retired Admiral William H. McRaven

 The Washington Post published on 15 July 2025 a commentary titled "William H. McRaven: Cutting the State Department and USAID Will Put Every American at Risk,"

Retired Admiral McRaven, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014, praised the work of Foreign Service and USAID personnel at locations around the world, especially for their efforts to counter terrorism.  He singled out some by name and argued that the dismantlement of USAID and sharp personnel reductions at the State Department only jeopardize American national security.  

State Department Reduction in Force: How It Was Done and Reactions

 NBC News posted on 12 July 2025 an account titled "Veteran U.S. Diplomats Baffled after Mass Layoffs at State Department" by Abigail Williams.  

This is a report on the 11 July dismissal of more than 1,300 State Department civil and foreign service personnel.  It focuses on the way the State Department conducted the firings and the response of those fired and those who kept their jobs.  

State Department Reductions in Force

 The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the organization that represents personnel in the State Department and other international affairs agencies, issued a statement on 11 July 2025 titled "AFSA Strongly Opposes State Department Reductions in Force." 

The statement appeared before more than 1,300 civil service and foreign service personnel at the U.S. Department of State learned today that they are being dismissed.  These dismissals follow a 20 percent reduction in personnel because of the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development and earlier forced resignations.  

Comment:  This is a sad day for civil service and foreign service personnel in the State Department.  While it has been done in the name of "reform," it has nothing to do with reform.  It is little more than part of a much larger effort to shrink the U.S. government in the mistaken view that it can do more with less.  The American public can judge the results in the years to come.

There are legitimate reasons to periodically change foreign policy priorities, eliminate functions, and add them.  But the reduction in force used in this "reform" does not appear to follow any coherent effort to take into account the skills and expertise of those being dismissed or the growing challenges that confront American foreign policy.     

From Yakima, Washington to Washington, D.C. and the Foreign Service

 Yakima Valley College in Yakima, Washington posted on 18 June 2025 a Q & A with me on transitioning in 1960 from a community college to George Washington University and a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.  

It emphasizes the importance of staying in touch with developments in the United States outside Washington, D.C. and the importance of American soft power in international affairs.

Is the Chaos at the State Department Over?

American Diplomat podcast, hosted by Arizona State University, posted on 8 May 2025 a 40-minute program titled "Is the Chaos at State Over?" with Tibor Nagy, a retired career Foreign Service Officer who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs in the first Trump administration and for the first three months of the current Trump administration as the acting undersecretary of state for management.

The podcast focused on reorganization and reform of the State Department and Foreign Service.  The DOGE team showed up early in the administration before Secretary of State Marco Rubio's small staff could get their feet on the ground.  This was followed by an avalanche of executive orders from the White House.  Chaos followed. Rubio demonstrated his independence from DOGE early when he said State Department personnel did not have to respond to its request for a list of five things each employee had accomplished in the past week.  

Tibor explained that USAID will be folded into the State Department, although many questions remain as to how its functions will be organized.  He acknowledged that the way USAID was dismantled by DOGE was chaotic and heartless.  There were initially huge screwups, but these have been largely overcome.

Tibor argues that the chaos is over in the State Department now that DOGE has moved on.  He added that it makes sense to combine some of the functions that were previously done in separate offices.  There was too much duplication and inefficiency.  

When asked what the Department of State will look like at the end of the Trump administration, he thought it would be better prepared to deal with the foreign policy issues the United States faces in the 21st century.  Artificial intelligence and new technology are changing the way the Department will operate and it is essential to adapt to the new situation. 

When asked about closing embassies and consulates, Tibor said the US diplomatic presence should be as universal as possible but added it is not necessary to have an embassy everywhere.  He suggested there is no need, for example, to have an embassy in Luxembourg, Sao Tome and Principe, and the Comoro Islands.  Some embassies are overstaffed and can be reduced in size while others may be short staffed.

Tibor admitted that morale in the State Department at the beginning of this process was terrible, but suggested much of the uncertainty has been removed and morale is now much improved.  

Comment:  While there are clearly components of the State Department that need reorganization and reform, Tibor is far more optimistic than I am that the changes currently underway will by the end of the Trump administration result in a more efficient and effective foreign policy process.    

Cutting Positions at the State Department

The Government Executive published on 9 May 2025 an article titled "State Department Cuts Poised to Be More Severe than Previously Outlined with 3,400 Employees on the Chopping Block" by Eric Katz and David Dimolfetta. 

Beginning in early June, an estimated 3,400 civil and foreign service positions are expected to be cut at the State Department.  The reduction in force (RIF) is not expected to affect the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which issues passports and visas to the public, but this means that about 20 percent of all other positions will be eliminated.  The first round of cuts will only impact US domestic jobs.  Overseas cuts are expected to occur later.  

Marco Rubio's State Department Reorganization Plan

 The Foreign Policy Expertise blog posted on 29 April 2025 a commentary titled "How to Make Rubio's State Department Reform a Success" by Dan Spokojny.

The author argues that to the extent the Rubio reorganization of the State Department focuses on moving some authority from functional bureaus to regional bureaus, it has merit. There has always been some unnecessary tension and overlap between the functional and regional bureaus. 

Comment:  If done properly, Rubio's reorganization plan could improve operations in the State Department.  That remains to be seen.  The bigger issue is ensuring an adequate budget and staffing.  Moving all the bureaucratic boxes in the State Department will improve nothing if there is an insufficient budget and personnel to carry out the Department's mission.   

State Department Reorganization: For Efficiency or Kneecapping Foreign Policy?

 The Hill published on 27 April 2025 an article titled "Rubio's State Department Scale-down: Efficiency or Global Retreat?" by Laura Kelly.

The Trump administration argues that reorganization of the State Department is intended to make it more efficient.  Critics respond that it is kneecapping US influence in foreign policy.

Comment:  There are almost certainly elements of efficiency included in Secretary of State Marco Rubio's plan to reorganize the State Department.  But when combined with the Trump administration's dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Voice of America and affiliated media outlets, and a host of lesser-known international affairs institutions, the result is mostly a global retreat in US influence in foreign affairs.

Marco Rubio Announces State Department Reorganization

 The New York Times published on 22 April 2025 an article titled "Rubio Outlines Drastic Changes at State Department" by Edward Wong and Michael Crowley.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a sweeping reorganization of the State Department, calling it "bloated, bureaucratic" and "beholden to radical political ideology."  Although Rubio offered few details, some of the changes mirror the draft executive order that has received so much criticism.  Rubio foresees a 15 percent reduction in US-based staff.  

Draft State Department Executive Order: Seems to Be a Real Test Run

 The Federal News Network published on 21 April 2025 an article titled "Foreign Service Faces Overhaul in Vetting, Deployment of Career Diplomats under Draft Executive Order" by Jory Heckman.

This article gives credence to the argument that the draft executive order for turning the State Department upside down is a real document designed to elicit comment.  The author concludes that publicly released executive orders usually bear a strong resemblance to earlier drafts.  The American Foreign Service Association responded that "reorganization of the State Department by leaks and confusion isn't a strategy--it's a recipe for failure."

Draft Executive Order for Dismantling State Department: Fake or Mistake?

 Government Executive published on 20 April 2025 an article titled "Rubio Denies that Trump Will Politicize the Foreign Service and Slash Embassies" by Eric Katz.

While plans are underway to reorganize the State Department, the draft executive order on this subject reported by The New York Times has been called a fake document by some in the Trump administration.  

Comment:  Following the dismantlement of USAID, Voice of America, and US Institute of Peace, it would come as no surprise that the State Department is next.  Time will tell if the draft executive order represents thinking within the administration or is just a sick joke. 

Is State Department Next in Line for Dismantlement?

The Washington Post published on 14 April 2025 an article titled "Trump Plan Would Slash State Dept. Funding by Nearly Half, Memo Says" by Adam Taylor and John Hudson.   

The Washington Post reviewed an internal memo prepared by the White House Office of Management and Budget that proposes a reduction by almost half in the State Department's budget for 2025.  Many of the reductions are funding for international organizations such as the UN and NATO.  The budget described in the memo is subject to deliberations in the Trump administration and in Congress.  

National Public Radio posted on 14 April 2025 a 10-minute podcast titled "Big Changes at the U.S. State Department" by Michele Kelemen, Lauren Frayer, and Greg Dixon.  

The podcast describes dramatic changes, including politicization, taking place at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.  

The Personal Carnage Created by DOGE's Dismantlement of USAID

 The Foreign Service Journal published in its April/May 2025 edition an article titled "Lives Upended: The Impact of USAID's Dismantling on Those Who Serve."

The article looks at the lives today of US Agency for International Development personnel who unexpectedly lost their jobs because of ill-considered actions taken by Elon Musk's DOGE.