Decline of the US State Department

 Small Wars Journal published on 11 August 2026 a commentary titled "The War of the Pen: What America's State Department Is Ignoring" by Julian McBride.

The author laments the absence of ambassadors at numerous US embassies, the State Department's waning soft power, the rise of middle and regional powers at the expense of the United States, and the increasing influence of China in the Global South.

He believes US diplomatic setbacks are self-inflicted but can be reversed through concerted action and the US position restored in the Global South.  

The State Department and the Trump Administration

 The American Conservative published on 22 July 2026 a commentary titled "The Fight Inside Trump's State Department Is About Power--Not Expertise" by Phillip Linderman.

The author argues that the Trump administration is trying to salvage the US Foreign Service from the "globalist and woke values" that dominate professional diplomatic services.  But the "old guard" in the State Department is stymieing this effort in the belief that the situation in the Department will return to normal after Trump leaves office.

For decades, the State Department's machinery has reflexively favored the globalist or internationalist Foreign Service officer over the American First officer.  Now an administration is trying to rebalance the institution.   

The old guard understands that accepting Trump's approach would mean surrendering much of its power to shape foreign policy.  That is why its members defended "the corrupt and dysfunctional USAID."  He concludes: "This is a fight about Washington power, not diplomatic expertise."

Comment:  There is a grain of truth to the author's core argument.  Foreign Service officers tend to be globalist and internationalist in their approach to foreign affairs.  That has also been the approach of all post-World War II administrations with the exception of the first Trump administration.  Foreign Service officers, especially at the senior level, also want to have an impact on the foreign policy decision making process and not meekly parrot every decision that comes from on high.  

This is where his analysis falls apart.  There is a role for offering a slightly different approach or even a contrary point of view backed up by sound knowledge and analysis.  If it is not accepted, then obviously the decision from "on high" must be accepted.  In the vast majority of cases in my experience, this has been the response from the Foreign Service.  If significant differences remained, the Foreign Service officer was moved to a different position or resigned.  

A Foreign Service officer has every right to disagree, for example, with the author's definition of USAID as "corrupt and dysfunctional" because he is flat-out wrong and the administration erred in dismantling the organization.  But the Trump administration made the decision to shut USAID down, and it is up to the Foreign Service to implement the new policy on foreign assistance.  I suspect the overwhelming majority of Foreign Service officers today are doing just that.

The author argues that the "public record" suggests senior Foreign Service officers' reluctance to implement the president's decisions fully and faithfully is widespread.  The "public record" he cites is a flawed analysis titled "Why Does Trump Hate the State Department" published by The American Conservative on July 20 and reposted below on July 21.  

The Decline of Diplomacy in the United States

 USA Today published on 19 July 2026 an opinion piece titled "Reduction in US State Department Staff Was Purge in Diplomacy" by Elizabeth "Liz" Colton.

The Trump administration's dismissal of diplomacy and purge of the State Department have resulted in the predictable negative impact on US foreign policy.  

Picking Up the Pieces at the US State Department

 The Federal News Network published on 16 July 2026 an article titled "Laid-off Federal Employees Spotlight Impacts of State Dept. RIF" by Drew Friedman.

The State Department laid off nearly 1,350, mostly civil service, staff and DOGE fired almost all USAID personnel and abolished the organization, moving a small number of USAID employees to the State Department.  The State Department is now scrambling to figure out how to cope with issues such as Ebola in Africa.  

Crisis at the U.S. Department of State

 The Daily Beast published on 14 July 2026 an article titled "Insiders Expose Trump 'Crisis' at the State Department" by Ewan Palmer.

This is a devastating account of the current situation in the U.S. Department of State.  It draws heavily on a longer article in the UK's Financial Times.

Reversing DOGE Damage to State Department

 Federal News Network published on 10 July 2026 an article titled "State Dept. Is Looking to Rebuild after Major Staffing Cuts.  Laid-off Diplomats Say They Are Not Welcome Back" by Jory Heckman.

After arbitrarily firing 1,350 State Department employees last summer, the administration is now trying to hire staff so that the organization has the personnel to carry out the functions expected of it.

Comment: This is a classic example of how not to "reform" a large bureaucratic, governmental organization.   

Dismantling of Professional American Diplomacy

 The Daily Beast published on 1 June 2026 an article titled "Jaw-Dropping Brain Drain Under Trump Revealed" by Will Neal.

The Trump administration has either laid off or forced into retirement about 2,000 career diplomats since the beginning of 2025.  This figure does not include foreign service personnel who were fired when the administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development.  

More than half of US embassies do not have a Senate-confirmed ambassador and those that are staffed at the ambassadorial level include only 8 percent career ambassadors.  The vast majority of American ambassadors today are financial contributors to the Trump campaign, close friends of the administration, or family members. 

The Hollowing Out of the US State Department

 CNN published on 16 May 2026 an article titled "As Global Crises Multiply, Scores of US Diplomats Say They Have Been Forced Out" by Jennifer Hansler.

An estimated 2,000 Foreign Service officers have been forced out or left by their own choice the U.S. Department of State in the past year.  Of 195 ambassadorial positions overseas, 115 are currently vacant, an unprecedented situation this late in an administration.  

This hollowing out of the State Department will have far reaching implications for the ability of the United States to project power and deliver on its foreign policy priorities.

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.