View source for United States Department of State

{{Short description|Executive department of the U.S. federal government}}
{{Redirect|Department of State|other uses|Department of State (disambiguation)|the general topic|Ministry of foreign affairs}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = United States Department of State
| logo            = Flag of the United States Department of State.svg{{!}}border
| logo_width      = 175
| logo_caption    = Flag of the Department of State
| seal            = US Department of State official seal.svg
| seal_width      = 175
| seal_caption    = Seal of the Department of State
| picture         = United States Department of State headquarters.jpg
| image_caption   = Department of State headquarters
| formed          = {{Start date and age|1789|7|27}}
| preceding1      = Department of Foreign Affairs
| agency_type     = [[United States federal executive departments|Executive department]]
| jurisdiction    = [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]]
| headquarters    = [[Harry S Truman Building]],<br />[[Northwest (Washington, D.C.)|Northwest, Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| coordinates     = {{Coord|38|53|39|N|77|2|54|W|region:US-DC_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| employees       = 80,214 (total)<br>14,399 [[United States Foreign Service|Foreign Service]] employees<br />12,831 [[United States federal civil service|Civil Service]] employees<br />50,703 local employees<ref>{{cite web |title=GTM Fact Sheet |url=https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/0924_state_dept_hr_factsheet.pdf |date=September 30, 2024 |access-date=February 11, 2025|publisher=[[U.S. Department of State]] }}</ref>
| budget          = [[USD]] 58 billion (FY 2025)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Department of State |title=Congressional Budget Justification: Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/FY25-Congressional-Budget-Justification-FINAL_03052024.pdf |website=state.gov |publisher=U.S. government |access-date=February 11, 2025 }}</ref>
| chief1_name     = [[Marco Rubio]]
| chief1_position = [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary]];
| chief2_name     = [[Christopher Landau]]
| chief2_position = [[United States Deputy Secretary of State|Deputy Secretary]];
| chief3_name     = [[Michael Rigas]]
| chief3_position = [[Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources|Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources]];
| chief4_name     = [[Allison Hooker]]
| chief4_position = [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs|Under Secretary for Political Affairs]];
| website         = {{URL|https://www.state.gov|state.gov}}
}}

The '''United States Department of State''' ('''DOS'''),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/oes/rlnks/gl//index.htm |title=Glossary of Acronyms |first=Bureau of Public Affairs |last=Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information |date=June 18, 2004 |website=2001-2009.state.gov |access-date=February 12, 2020 |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117144639/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/oes/rlnks/gl/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> or simply the '''State Department''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Department of State |url=https://www.state.gov/ |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=United States Department of State |archive-date=December 30, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961230182605/https://www.state.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref> is an [[United States federal executive departments|executive department]] of the [[U.S. federal government]] responsible for the country's [[foreign policy of the United States|foreign policy]] and [[foreign relations of the United States|relations]]. Equivalent to the [[ministry of foreign affairs]] of other countries, its primary duties are advising the [[U.S. president]] on international relations, administering [[List of diplomatic missions of the United States|diplomatic missions]], negotiating international treaties and agreements, protecting citizens abroad and representing the U.S. at the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/framework |title=A New Framework for Foreign Affairs |date=March 14, 2015 |website=A Short History of the Department of State |publisher=U.S. Department of State |access-date=March 14, 2015 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019145851/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/framework |url-status=live }}</ref> The department is headquartered in the [[Harry S Truman Building]], a few blocks from the [[White House]], in the [[Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.|Foggy Bottom]] neighborhood of [[Washington, D.C.]]; "Foggy Bottom" is thus sometimes used as a [[metonym]].

Established in 1789 as the first administrative arm of the [[U.S. executive branch]], the State Department is considered among the most powerful and prestigious executive agencies.<ref>"Cabinets and Counselors: The President and the Executive Branch" (1997). ''[[Congressional Quarterly]]''. p. 87.</ref> It is headed by the [[U.S. secretary of state]], who reports directly to the U.S. president and is a member of the [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]]. Analogous to a [[foreign minister]], the secretary of state serves as the federal government's chief diplomat and representative abroad, and is the first Cabinet official in the [[United States order of precedence|order of precedence]] and in the [[United States presidential line of succession|presidential line of succession]]. The position is currently held by [[Marco Rubio]], who was appointed by President [[Donald Trump]] and confirmed by the [[U.S. Senate]] on January 20, 2025, by a vote of 99–0.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foran |first=Clare |date=2025-01-20 |title=Senate votes to confirm Marco Rubio as secretary of state, first Trump Cabinet official to be approved {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/20/politics/rubio-secretary-state-senate-confirmed-dg/index.html |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

{{As of|2024}}, the State Department maintains 271 diplomatic posts worldwide, second only to the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China]].<ref name=":02">{{cite web |title=Global Diplomacy Index – Country Rank |url=https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/country_ranking |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225223052/https://globaldiplomacyindex.lowyinstitute.org/country_ranking |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=[[Lowy Institute]] |url-status=live }}</ref> It also manages the [[U.S. Foreign Service]], provides [[Foreign Service Institute|diplomatic training]] to U.S. officials and military personnel, exercises partial jurisdiction over [[Immigration to the United States|immigration]], and provides various services to Americans, such as issuing [[passport]]s and [[Travel visa|visas]], posting foreign travel advisories, and advancing commercial ties abroad. The department administers the oldest U.S. civilian intelligence agency, the [[Bureau of Intelligence and Research]] (INR), and maintains a [[Federal law enforcement in the United States#Department of State|law enforcement arm]], the [[Diplomatic Security Service]] (DSS).

==History==
[[File:State Department Building, Washington, D. C., 1865.png|left|thumb|Old State Department building in [[Washington, D.C.]], {{circa|1865}}]]

=== Eighteenth century ===
The [[Articles of Confederation]] did not designate a separate executive branch of the government. Foreign affairs were delegated to the '''Committee of Secret Correspondence''' by the [[Congress of the Confederation]] in 1775, based on the Committee of Correspondence that was used by the colony of Massachusetts to communicate with the other colonies. The Committee of Secret Correspondence was renamed the '''Committee of Foreign Affairs''' in 1777.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=46-47}} In 1781, the '''Department of Foreign Affairs''' was established as a permanent body to replace the Committee of Foreign Affairs, and the office of secretary of foreign affairs was established to lead the department.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=55-56}}

The [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]], drafted September 1787 and [[ratified]] the following year, gave the [[President of the United States|president]] responsibility for conducting the federal government's affairs with foreign states. To that end, on July 21, 1789, the [[1st United States Congress|First Congress]] approved legislation to reestablish the Department of Foreign Affairs under the new government, which President [[George Washington]] signed into law on July 27, making the department the first federal agency to be created under the new Constitution.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Act for establishing an Executive Department, to be denominated the Department of Foreign Affairs |date=27 July 1789 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/link/statute/1/28?link-type=details |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|GPO]] |access-date=27 July 2024}}</ref> This legislation remains the basic law of the Department of State.<ref>{{Cite web |title=22 U.S. Code § 2651 - Establishment of Department |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2651 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=Legal Information Institute |language=en |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201161140/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/2651 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 1789, [[Records Act|additional legislation]] changed the name of the agency to the '''Department of State''' and assigned it a variety of domestic duties, including managing the [[United States Mint]], keeping the [[Great Seal of the United States]], and administering the [[United States Census Bureau|census]]. President Washington signed the new legislation on September 15.<ref>{{cite web |title=An Act to provide for the Safe-keeping of the Acts, Records, and Seal of the United States, and for other purposes |date=15 September 1789 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/link/statute/1/68?link-type=details |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|GPO]] |access-date=27 July 2024}}</ref> Most of these domestic duties gradually were transferred to various federal departments and agencies established in the 19th century. However, the secretary of state still retains a few domestic responsibilities, such as serving as keeper of the Great Seal and being the officer to whom a president or vice president wishing to resign must deliver an [[Letter of resignation|instrument in writing]] declaring the decision.

Reflecting the fledgling status of the US at the time, the Department of State under Secretary Jefferson comprised only six personnel, two diplomatic posts (in London and Paris), and 10 consular posts.<ref name=":0"/> When Jefferson took charge of the department, one clerk oversaw The Foreign Office and another oversaw the Home Office. Congress authorized the department hire a chief clerk for each office in June 1790, but the offices were consolidated under a single clerk the following month.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=114-115}} In 1793, responsibility over patents was transferred from the cabinet to the Department of State. The office of superintendent of patents was created to carry out this responsibility, but the office was not recognized by Congress until 1830.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=115}}

=== Nineteenth century ===
In the 19th century, the U.S. State Department was responsible for administering the [[Consulate|consular]] services and [[Diplomatic Security Service|Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)]]. The Department of State was composed of two primary administrative units: the diplomatic service, which staffed US [[legation]]s and embassies, and the consular service, which was primarily responsible for promoting American commerce abroad and assisting distressed American sailors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information |first=Bureau of Public Affairs |date=February 4, 2005 |title=Frequently Asked Historical Questions |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/faq/index.htm |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=2001-2009.state.gov |language=en |archive-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228234840/https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/faq/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Each service developed separately, but both lacked sufficient funding to provide for a career; consequently, appointments to either service fell on those with the financial means to sustain their work abroad. Combined with the common practice of appointing individuals based on politics or patronage, rather than merit, this led the department to largely favor those with political networks and wealth, rather than skill and knowledge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rogers Act |url=https://u-s-history.com/pages/h1471.html |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=u-s-history.com |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119080917/https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1471.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1833, Secretary of State [[Louis McLane]] oversaw a major restructure of the Department of State into a formal collection of seven bureaus: the Diplomatic Bureau; the Consular Bureau; the Home Bureau; the Bureau of Archives, Laws, and Commissions; the Bureau of Pardons and Remissions, Copyrights, and the Care of the Library; the Disbursing and Superintending Bureau; and the Translating and Miscellaneous Bureau. His successor [[John Forsyth (politician)|John Forsyth]] reduced this number to just four the following year, overseen by a chief clerk: the Diplomatic Bureau; the Consular Bureau; the Home Bureau; and the Keeper of the Archives, Translator, and Disbursing Agent.{{sfn|Short|1923|p=116}}

The office of Commissioner of Patents was created in 1836.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=117}} In 1842, the Department of State was required to report to Congress on foreign commercial systems, and a clerk within the department was assigned the responsibility of arranging this information. This position was established as the Superintendent of Statistics in 1854 and the Statistical Office was created within the department.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=117}} In 1853, the office of [[United States Assistant Secretary of State|Assistant Secretary of State]] was created to oversee the heads of each bureau.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=117}}

A Commissioner of Immigration existed between 1864 and 1868. An Examiner of Claims was established in 1868 to address claims by American citizens against foreign governments, but it was abolished in 1868 and then reestablished in 1870 under the newly established Law Bureau.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=227}} In 1870, Secretary of State [[Hamilton Fish]] reorganized the department into twelve bureaus: the Chief Clerk's Bureau, two Diplomatic Bureaus, two Consular Bureaus, the Law Bureau, the Bureau of Accounts, the Statistical Bureau, the Bureau of Translations, the Bureau of Pardons and Commissions, the Bureau of Domestic Records, and the Passport Bureau. The bureaus of law, translations, and domestic records each consisted of a single person responsible for that duty.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=226}} A mail division was established in 1872 and the office of Keeper of Rolls was made independent of the Chief Clerk's Bureau in 1873.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=227}}

Congress legally recognized the bureau system and provided official salaries for some bureau positions in 1873.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=227}} Following Congressional recognition, several acts of Congress modified the structure of the bureaus between 1874 and 1882.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=228}} At the end of the nineteenth century, the department consisted of the Chief Clerk's Bureau, the Diplomatic Bureau, the Consular Bureau, the Bureau of Accounts, the Bureau of Foreign Commerce, the Bureau of Appointments, and the Bureau of Archives. Other offices, such as that of translator, also operated separately from the bureau system.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=228-229}}

=== Twentieth century ===
In 1903, the Bureau of Foreign Commerce was transferred to the newly created [[United States Department of Commerce and Labor|Department of Commerce and Labor]], and the bureau was replaced by an office to facilitate the transfer of information between consular offices and the new department. The Passport Bureau was restored the same year, and its name was changed to the Bureau of Citizenship in 1907.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=229-230}} The department underwent a major reform in 1909 when Congress expanded its funding. Separate divisions were established within the Department for Latin American Affairs, Far Eastern Affairs, Near Eastern Affairs, Western European Affairs, and Information.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=231}} An additional Division of Mexican Affairs was established in 1915.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=232}} The Bureau of Trade Relations was abolished in 1912 and replaced by an Office of Foreign Trade Advisers, and the Office of the Adviser on Commercial Treaties was split from this office in 1916.{{Sfn|Short|1923|p=232}}

During [[World War I]], the Bureau of Citizenship was tasked with vetting every person who entered or departed from the United States to ensure public safety. New branches of the Bureau of Citizenship were opened in New York and San Francisco. In the final months of World War I, the Bureau of Citizenship was split into the Division of Passport Control and the Visa Office. Other changes made during World War I include the conversion of the Division of Information into the Division of Foreign Intelligence in 1917 and the establishment of the Correspondence Bureau in 1918.{{Sfn|Short|1923|pp=232-233}} The Division of Russian Affairs was established in 1919, and the Division of Political Information was established in 1920. The Department of State underwent its first major overhaul with the [[Rogers Act|Rogers Act of 1924]], which merged the diplomatic and consular services into the [[United States Foreign Service|Foreign Service]], a professionalized personnel system under which the [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]] is authorized to assign [[diplomat]]s abroad. An extremely difficult Foreign Service examination was also implemented to ensure highly qualified recruits, along with a merit-based system of promotions. The Rogers Act also created the Board of the Foreign Service, which advises the Secretary of State on managing the Foreign Service, and the Board of Examiners of the Foreign Service, which administers the examination process.

The post-Second World War period saw an unprecedented increase in funding and staff commensurate with the US's emergence as a superpower and its competition with the Soviet Union in the subsequent Cold War.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Department History - Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=history.state.gov |archive-date=November 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122192219/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory |url-status=live }}</ref> Consequently, the number of domestic and overseas employees grew from roughly 2,000 in 1940 to over 13,000 in 1960.<ref name=":0" />

In accordance with the 1984 Act to Combat International Terrorism, the U.S. State Department established the [[Rewards for Justice Program|Rewards for Justice program]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rewards for Justice |url=https://2017-2021.state.gov/rewards-for-justice/ |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215181847/https://2017-2021.state.gov/rewards-for-justice/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Rewards For Justice program offered money as an incentive for information leading to the arrest of leaders of [[terrorist groups]], financiers of terrorism, including any individual that abide in plotting [[terror attacks]] by cooperating with extremist groups.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. 'Bounty' Scheme Targets Terrorists |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/02/20/terrorism-bounty-taliban-cx_0221oxford.html |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215183516/https://www.forbes.com/2008/02/20/terrorism-bounty-taliban-cx_0221oxford.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rouan |first=Rick |title=After al-Zawahri's death, U.S. most wanted list includes two dozen accused terrorists |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/02/terrorism-fbi-most-wanted-al-zawahri/10212488002/ |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1997, [[Madeleine Albright]] became the first woman appointed Secretary of State and the first foreign-born woman to serve in the Cabinet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Madeleine Albright becomes first female secretary of state |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/albright-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-state |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=HISTORY |date=February 9, 2010 |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215181847/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/albright-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-state |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Present ===
The 3rd millennium saw the department reinvent itself in response to the rapid [[digitization]] of society and the global economy. In 2007, it launched an official blog, [[Dipnote]], as well as a [[Twitter]] account of the same name, to engage with a global audience. Internally, it launched a [[wiki]], [[Diplopedia]]; a suggestion forum called the [[State Department Sounding Board|Sounding Board]];<ref>{{cite web |date=February 10, 2009 |title=Hillary Clinton Launches E-Suggestion Box..'The Secretary is Listening' – ABC News |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2009/02/hillary-clint-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429180846/http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2009/02/hillary-clint-1.html |archive-date=April 29, 2011 |access-date=June 16, 2012 |publisher=Blogs.abcnews.com}}</ref> and a professional networking software, "Corridor".<ref>{{cite web |last=Lipowicz |first=Alice |date=April 22, 2011 |title=State Department to launch "Corridor" internal social network – Federal Computer Week |url=http://fcw.com/articles/2011/04/22/state-dept--preparing-to-launch-corridor-social-network-for-employees-only.aspx |access-date=June 16, 2012 |publisher=Fcw.com |archive-date=September 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927232621/http://fcw.com/articles/2011/04/22/state-dept--preparing-to-launch-corridor-social-network-for-employees-only.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=May 5, 2011 |title=Peering down the Corridor: The New Social Network's Features and Their Uses &#124; IBM Center for the Business of Government |url=http://www.businessofgovernment.org/blog/business-government/peering-down-corridor-new-social-networks-features-and-their-uses |access-date=June 16, 2012 |publisher=Businessofgovernment.org |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315144533/http://www.businessofgovernment.org/blog/business-government/peering-down-corridor-new-social-networks-features-and-their-uses |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2009, the [[Virtual Student Federal Service]] (VSFS) was created to provide remote internships to students.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 13, 2009 |title=Remarks at the New York University Commencement Ceremony, Hillary Rodham Clinton |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2009a/05/123431.htm |access-date=October 15, 2017 |website=Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs |publisher=U.S. State Department |archive-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210181904/https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/20092013clinton/rm/2009a/05/123431.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, the Department of State was the fourth most desired employer for undergraduates according to ''[[BusinessWeek]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Most Desirable Employers |url=http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/most_desirable_employers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127001824/http://www.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/most_desirable_employers.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 27, 2010 |access-date=January 24, 2011 |work=BusinessWeek}}</ref>

From 2009 to 2017, the State Department launched ''21st Century Statecraft,'' with the official goal of "complementing traditional foreign policy tools with newly innovated and adapted instruments of statecraft that fully leverage the technologies of our interconnected world."<ref>{{cite web |title=21st Century Statecraft |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/statecraft/overview/index.htm |access-date=July 23, 2014 |publisher=The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs |archive-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316235119/https://2009-2017.state.gov/statecraft/overview/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The initiative was designed to utilize digital technology and the Internet to promote foreign policy goals; examples include promoting an [[SMS]] campaign to provide disaster relief to Pakistan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Talking 21st Century Statecraft |url=https://thediplomat.com/2011/04/talking-21st-century-statecraft/ |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=The Diplomat |language=en-US |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120234735/https://thediplomat.com/2011/04/talking-21st-century-statecraft/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and sending DOS personnel to Libya to assist in developing Internet infrastructure and e-government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=DuPre |first1=Carrie |last2=Williams |first2=Kate |date=May 1, 2011 |title=Undergraduates' Perceptions of Employer Expectations |journal=Journal of Career and Technical Education |volume=26 |issue=1 |doi=10.21061/jcte.v26i1.490 |issn=1533-1830 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[Colin Powell]], who led the department from 2001 to 2005, became the [[List of African-American United States Cabinet members|first African-American]] to hold the post; his immediate successor, [[Condoleezza Rice]], was the [[List of female United States Cabinet members|second female secretary of state]] and the second African-American. [[Hillary Clinton]] became the third female secretary of state when she was appointed in 2009.

In 2014, the State Department began expanding into the Navy Hill Complex across 23rd Street NW from the Truman Building.<ref>This complex is also known as the "Potomac Annex".</ref> A joint venture consisting of the architectural firms of [[Goody, Clancy & Associates, Inc|Goody, Clancy]] and the [[Louis Berger Group]] won a $2.5 million contract in January 2014 to begin planning the renovation of the buildings on the {{convert|11.8|acre|ha}} Navy Hill campus, which housed the World War II headquarters of the [[Office of Strategic Services]] and was the first headquarters of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/01/boston-firm-picked-for-state.html Sernovitz, Daniel J. "Boston Firm Picked for State Department Consolidation". ''Washington Business Journal.'' January 14, 2014.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223134048/http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2014/01/boston-firm-picked-for-state.html |date=February 23, 2014 }} Accessed January 14, 2014.</ref>

In June 2022, the State Department launched a new [[transnational association]], the [[Minerals Security Partnership]].

On August 28, 2025, the State Department announced a new policy that would require the [[National Visa Center]] to schedule routine immigrant visa interviews at all overseas US embassies and consulates for immigrant visa applicants, incl. the parents of US citizens who are not present in the US but were documentarily qualified, starting on November 1, 2025.<ref>[https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/adjudicating-applicants-in-their-country-of-residence-aug-28-2025.html Adjudicating Immigrant Visa Applicants in Their Country of Residence - August 28, 2025] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref> In other words, the new policy, announced on August 28, 2025 by the State Department, requires immigrant visa applicants, such as the parents of US citizens who are not present in the US but were documentarily qualified, to attend immigrant visa interviews at all overseas US embassies and consulates as of November 1, 2025.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Duties and responsibilities==
[[File:Armed Department of State security agents accompany U.S. Ambassador Deane Hinton in El Salvador circa 1982.png|right|thumb|Armed Department of State security agents accompany U.S. Ambassador [[w:Deane R. Hinton|Deane Hinton]] in [[w:El Salvador|El Salvador]] in the early 1980s.]]
The Executive Branch and the Congress have constitutional responsibilities for US foreign policy. Within the Executive Branch, the Department of State is the lead US foreign affairs agency, and its head, the secretary of state, is the president's principal foreign policy advisor. The department advances US objectives and interests in the world through its primary role in developing and implementing the president's foreign policy. It also provides an array of important services to US citizens and to foreigners seeking to visit or immigrate to the United States.

All foreign affairs activities—US representation abroad, foreign assistance programs, countering international crime, foreign military training programs, the services the department provides, and more—are paid for out of the foreign affairs budget, which represents little more than 1% of the total federal budget.<ref>[[Kori Schake|Kori N. Schake]], ''State of disrepair: Fixing the culture and practices of the State Department''. (Hoover Press, 2013).</ref>

The department's core activities and purpose include:
* Protecting and assisting US citizens living or traveling abroad;
* Assisting American businesses in the international marketplace;
* Coordinating and providing support for international activities of other US agencies (local, state, or federal government), official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts.
* Keeping the public informed about US foreign policy and relations with other countries and providing feedback from the public to administration officials.
* Providing [[diplomatic license plates in the United States|automobile registration]] for non-diplomatic staff vehicles and the vehicles of diplomats of foreign countries having [[diplomatic immunity]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150546.pdf |page=15 |title=Diplomatic and Consular Immunity: Guidance for Law Enforcement and Judicial Authorities |date=July 2011 |access-date=May 11, 2012 |author=United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security |publisher=United States Department of State |archive-date=December 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230201605/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150546.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Secretary Blinken Delivers Remarks to the Media (50882627067).jpg|thumb|Secretary of State [[Antony Blinken]] delivers remarks to the media.]]

The Department of State conducts these activities with a civilian workforce, and normally uses the Foreign Service personnel system for positions that require service abroad. Employees may be assigned to diplomatic missions abroad to represent the United States, analyze and report on political, economic, and social trends; adjudicate visas; and respond to the needs of US citizens abroad.

The US maintains diplomatic relations with about 180 countries and maintains relations with many international organizations, adding up to 273 posts around the world. In the United States, about 5,000 professional, technical, and administrative employees work compiling and analyzing reports from overseas, providing logistical support to posts, communicating with the American public, formulating and overseeing the budget, issuing passports and [[warden message|travel warnings]], and more. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Department of State works in close coordination with other federal agencies, including the departments of Defense, Treasury, and Commerce. The department also consults with Congress about foreign policy initiatives and policies.<ref>William J. Burns, "The Lost Art of American Diplomacy: Can the State Department Be Saved." ''Foreign Affairs'' 98 (2019): 98+.</ref>

==Organization==
[[File:US State Department organization, May 2024.png|alt=US State Department org chart|thumb|Organizational chart of the U.S. Department of State, May 2024]]

===Secretary of state and leadership structure===
The most senior official in the Department is the Secretary of State. The Secretary is the [[chief executive officer]] of the Department of State and a member of the [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] who answers directly to, and advises, the [[president of the United States]]. The Secretary organizes and supervises the entire department and its staff.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gill |first1=Cory R. |title=U.S. Department of State Personnel: Background and Selected Issues for Congress |date=May 18, 2018 |publisher=Congressional Research Service |location=Washington, DC |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R45203.pdf |access-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-date=June 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180605192032/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R45203.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Immediately subordinate to the Secretary are the [[United States Deputy Secretary of State|Deputy Secretary]] and the [[Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources|Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources]], the second- and third-highest-ranking officials in the department.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Department of State Organization Chart |url=https://www.state.gov/department-of-state-organization-chart/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=United States Department of State |language=en}}</ref> Ranking below the two Deputy Secretaries are six [[United States Under Secretary of State|Under Secretaries]], who each oversee several bureaus and offices tasked with specific areas of policy and administration.<ref name=":1" /> Each bureau or office, in turn, is managed by a senior official. The senior official in most bureaus is an [[United States Assistant Secretary of State|Assistant Secretary of State]], with some senior officials having other titles such as Director or [[Ambassador-at-large|Ambassador-at-Large]].<ref name=":1" /> The final tier of senior leadership below Assistant Secretary is Deputy Assistant Secretary, of which there are several dozen. Staff below the Deputy Assistant Secretary rank are generally considered "working level."

Officials from the Secretary through the Assistant Secretaries are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. 

====Staff====
{{see also|United States Under Secretary of State}}
Under the Obama administration, the website of the Department of State had indicated that the State Department's 75,547 employees included 13,855 foreign service officers; 49,734 locally employed staff, whose duties are primarily serving overseas; and 10,171 predominantly domestic civil service employees.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/dghr/workforce//index.htm |title=Workforce Statistics |website=2009-2017.state.gov |access-date=February 12, 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030055850/https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/dghr/workforce/index.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" colspan="2" | United States State Department Organization (2025)
|-
! rowspan="13" scope="row" | [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]
| [[Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of State|Chief of Staff]]
|-
|[[United States Mission to the United Nations]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Intelligence and Research]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Legislative Affairs]]
|-
|[[Office of Global Women's Issues]]
|-
|[[Legal Adviser of the Department of State|Office of the Legal Adviser]]
|-
|[[Policy Planning Staff (United States)|Policy Planning Staff]]
|-
|[[Counselor of the United States Department of State|Counselor]]
|-
|[[Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State|Executive Secretariat]]
|-
|Office of Civil Rights
|-
|Office of the Ombuds
|-
|[[Chief of Protocol of the United States|Office of the Chief of Protocol]]
|-
|''Special Envoys and Special Representatives''
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[United States Deputy Secretary of State|Deputy Secretary of State]]
| Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy
|-
| Office of the Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources|Deputy Secretary of State<br>for Management and Resources]]
|[[United States foreign aid|Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance]]
|-
|[https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/office-of-small-and-disadvantaged-business-utilization/ Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization]
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="7" | [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs|Under Secretary of State<br>for Political Affairs]]
| [[Bureau of African Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of International Organization Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs]]
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="13" | [[Under Secretary of State for Management|Under Secretary of State<br>for Management]]
| [[Bureau of Administration]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Budget and Planning]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Consular Affairs]]<br>*[[Office of Children's Issues]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Diplomatic Security]]<br>*[[Diplomatic Security Service|U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)]]
|-
| [[Office of Foreign Missions]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Global Talent Management]]
|-
| [[United States Foreign Service]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Diplomatic Technology]]
|-
| Bureau of Medical Services
|-
| [[Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations]]
|-
| Director of [[Diplomatic Reception Rooms]]
|-
| [[Foreign Service Institute|National Foreign Affairs Training Center]]
|-
| Office of Management Strategy and Solutions
|-
! rowspan="7" scope="row" | [[Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment|Under Secretary of State<br>for Economic Growth, Energy,<br>and the Environment]]
| [[Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Energy Resources]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs]]
|-
|Office of Global Food Security
|-
| [[Office of Global Partnerships]]
|-
| [[Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State|Office of the Science and Technology Adviser]]
|-
| Office of the Chief Economist
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4" | [[Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs|Under Secretary of State<br>for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs]]
| [[Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs]]<br>*[[Internet Access and Training Program]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Public Affairs]]<br>*[[Spokesperson for the United States Department of State]]<br>*[[Office of the Historian]]<br>*[[United States Diplomacy Center]]
|-
| [[Bureau of International Information Programs]]
|-
| Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="4" | [[Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs|Under Secretary of State<br>for Arms Control and<br>International Security Affairs]]
| [[Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation|Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation]]
|-
| [[Bureau of Political-Military Affairs]] 
|-
|-
|[[Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism]]
|-
! rowspan="8" scope="row" | [[Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights|Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom]]
|[[Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations]]
|-
|*[[Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration]]
|-
|[[Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy]]
|-
|[[Office of Global Criminal Justice]]
|-
|[[International Religious Freedom Act of 1998|Office of International Religious Freedom]]
|-
|[[Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons]]
|}

====Other agencies====
Since the 1996 reorganization, the Administrator of the [[United States Agency for International Development|US Agency for International Development]] (USAID), while leading an independent agency, also reports to the secretary of state, as does the [[Ambassadors of the United States to the United Nations|US ambassador to the United Nations]].

== Headquarters ==
[[File:Harry S. Truman Building.jpg|thumb|Harry S. Truman Building (formerly Main State Building), headquarters of the U.S. Department of State since May 1947]]
[[File:Secretary Blinken Introduces President Biden and Vice President Harris (50909235756).jpg|thumb|Secretary of State [[Antony Blinken]] delivers remarks with President [[Joe Biden]] and Vice President [[Kamala Harris]] at the State Department headquarters, February 2021.]]

From 1790 to 1800, the State Department was headquartered in [[Philadelphia]], the [[List of capitals in the United States|national capital]] at the time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Buildings of the Department of State - Buildings - Department History - Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section2 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=history.state.gov |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202081443/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/buildings/section2 |url-status=live }}</ref> It occupied a building at Church and Fifth Street.<ref name="Plischke">Plischke, Elmer. ''U.S. Department of State: A Reference History.'' Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 45.</ref>{{NoteTag|For a short period, during which a [[yellow fever]] epidemic ravaged the city, it resided in the [[New Jersey State House]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]].}} In 1800, it moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., where it briefly occupied the [[Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)|Treasury Building]]<ref name="Plischke" /> and then the [[Seven Buildings]] at 19th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.<ref>Tinkler, Robert. ''James Hamilton of South Carolina.'' Baton Rouge, La.: Louisiana State University Press, 2004, p. 52.</ref>

The State Department moved several times throughout the capital in the ensuing decades, including six buildings in September 1800;<ref>Burke, Lee H. and Patterson, Richard Sharpe. ''Homes of the Department of State, 1774–1976: The Buildings Occupied by the Department of State and Its Predecessors.'' Washington, D.C.: US. Government Printing Office, 1977, p. 27.</ref> the War Office Building west of the White House the following May;<ref name="Michael">Michael, William Henry. ''History of the Department of State of the United States: Its Formation and Duties, Together With Biographies of Its Present Officers and Secretaries From the Beginning.'' Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1901, p. 12.</ref> the Treasury Building once more from September 1819 to November 1866;<ref>Burke and Patterson, p. 37.</ref>{{NoteTag|Except for a period between September 1814 to April 1816, during which it occupied a structure at G and 18th Streets NW while the Treasury Building was repaired}}<ref name="Michael" /> the Washington City Orphan Home from November 1866 to July 1875;<ref>Burke and Patterson, 1977, p. 41.</ref> and the [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building|State, War, and Navy Building]] in 1875.<ref>Plischke, p. 467.</ref>

Since May 1947, the State Department has been based in the [[Harry S. Truman Building]], which originally was intended to house the Department of Defense; it has since undergone several expansions and renovations, most recently in 2016.<ref>Sernovitz, Daniel J. (October 10, 2014)."State Department's Truman Building to Get Multimillion-Dollar Makeover". ''Washington Business Journal''.</ref> Previously known as the "Main State Building"'','' in September 2000 it was renamed in honor of [[President of the United States|President]] [[Harry S. Truman]], who was a major proponent of internationalism and diplomacy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2004 |title=CNN.com - State Department headquarters named for Harry S. Truman - September 22, 2000 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/09/22/truman.building.ap/index.html |access-date=November 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041208101632/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/09/22/truman.building.ap/index.html |archive-date=December 8, 2004}}</ref>

As the DOS is located in the [[Foggy Bottom]] neighborhood of Washington, it is sometimes [[metonym]]ically referred to as "Foggy Bottom".<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Foggy%20Bottom |title=Definition of Foggy Bottom |dictionary=The American Heritage Dictionary |access-date=November 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109185319/http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Foggy%20Bottom |archive-date=November 9, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Carmine">Alex Carmine. (2009.) ''Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol: The Ultimate Unauthorized and Independent Reading Guide'', Punked Books, p. 37. {{ISBN|9781908375018}}.</ref><ref name="Mowbray">Joel Mowbray. (2003.) ''Dangerous Diplomacy: How the State Department Threatens America's Security'', Regnery Publishing, p. 11. {{ISBN|9780895261106}}.</ref>

==Programs==

=== Professional Fellows ===
The US Department of State has in the recent years rolled out Professional Exchange Fellows who have risen to professional ranks in their lives and are chosen by the US Embassies worldwide to be a professional fellows of the State Department spending time in the United States and interacting with their American colleagues, leadership and counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/professional-fellows-program |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=exchanges.state.gov |language=en |archive-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617094915/https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/professional-fellows-program |url-status=live }}</ref>
Notable alumni of Professional Fellows include [[Edmond Fernandes]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-09-27 |title=Mangalurean doctor selected as a Legislative Fellow by the US govt |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangaluru/mangalurean-doctor-selected-as-a-legislative-fellow-by-the-us-govt/articleshow/60853280.cms |access-date=2024-04-26 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> [[Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne|Anoka Abeyratne]]. 

=== Fulbright Program ===
[[File:Mike Pompeo with Department of State Summer Interns - 2018 (43952374221).jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|[[Mike Pompeo]] with 2018 summer interns]]

The Fulbright Program, including the [[Fulbright–Hays Act of 1961|Fulbright–Hays Program]], is a program of competitive, merit-based [[Grant (money)|grants]] for [[United States Cultural Exchange Programs|international educational exchange]] for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by [[United States Senator]] [[J. William Fulbright]] in 1946. Under the Fulbright Program, competitively selected US citizens may become eligible for scholarships to study, conduct research, or exercise their talents abroad; and citizens of other countries may qualify to do the same in the United States. The program was established to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.

The Fulbright Program provides 8,000 grants annually to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university lecturing, and classroom teaching. In the 2015–16 cycle, 17% and 24% of American applicants were successful in securing research and English Teaching Assistance grants, respectively. However, selectivity and application numbers vary substantially by country and by type of grant. For example, grants were awarded to 30% of Americans applying to teach English in Laos and 50% of applicants to do research in Laos. In contrast, 6% of applicants applying to teach English in Belgium were successful compared to 16% of applicants to do research in Belgium.<ref>{{cite web |title=ETA Grant Application Statistics |url=http://us.fulbrightonline.org/eta-grant-application-statistics |website=us.fulbrightonline.org |access-date=December 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225170917/http://us.fulbrightonline.org/eta-grant-application-statistics |archive-date=December 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Study/Research Grant Application Statistics |url=http://us.fulbrightonline.org/studyresearch-grant-application-statistics |website=us.fulbrightonline.org |access-date=December 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225182159/http://us.fulbrightonline.org/studyresearch-grant-application-statistics |archive-date=December 25, 2015}}</ref>

The US Department of State's [[Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs]] sponsors the Fulbright Program from an annual appropriation from the [[U.S. Congress]]. Additional direct and in-kind support comes from partner governments, foundations, corporations, and host institutions both in and outside the US<ref name="Fulbright Program Fact Sheet">{{cite web |title=Fulbright Program Fact Sheet |publisher=U.S. Department of State |url=https://eca.state.gov:443/files/bureau/fulbright_fact_sheet_2.pdf |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923171523/http://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fulbright_fact_sheet_2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Fulbright Program is administered by cooperating organizations like the [[Institute of International Education]]. It operates in over 160 countries around the world.<ref name="Institute of International Education">{{cite web |title=IIE Programs |publisher=Institute of International Education |url=http://www.iie.org/What-We-Do/Fellowship-And-Scholarship-Management/Programs |access-date=July 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728221410/http://www.iie.org/What-We-Do/Fellowship-And-Scholarship-Management/Programs |archive-date=July 28, 2014}}</ref> In each of 49 countries, a bi-national Fulbright Commission administers and oversees the Fulbright Program. In countries without a Fulbright Commission but that have an active program, the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy oversees the Fulbright Program. More than 360,000 persons have participated in the program since it began. Fifty-four Fulbright alumni have won [[Nobel Prizes]];<ref name="Notable Alumni">{{cite web |title=53 Fulbright Alumni Awarded the Nobel Prize |publisher=U.S. Department of State |url=http://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fulbright_notable_alumni-2014_0.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408214605/http://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/fulbright_notable_alumni-2014_0.pdf |archive-date=April 8, 2014}}</ref> eighty-two have won [[Pulitzer Prize]]s.<ref name="Notable Fulbrighters">{{cite web |title=Notable Fulbrighters |publisher=U.S. Department of State |url=https://eca.state.gov:443/fulbright/fulbright-alumni/notable-fulbrighters |access-date=October 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016080114/https://www.eca.state.gov/fulbright/fulbright-alumni/notable-fulbrighters |archive-date=October 16, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== National Security Language Initiative ===
The [[National Security Language Initiative|National Security Language Initiative (NSLI-Y)]] is a US Department of State [[Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs|ECA]] competitive merit-based scholarship to develop the foreign language skills of American high school students in eight critical-need languages. [[Korean language|Korean]], [[Chinese language|Mandarin]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Arabic]], [[Hindi]], [[Indonesian language|Bahasa Indonesian]], [[Tajik language|Tajiki]], and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] are all taught in summer and academic year programs abroad, as well as in online classes. 

===Jefferson Science Fellows Program===
The Jefferson Science Fellows Program was established in 2003 by the DoS to establish a new model for engaging the American academic science, technology, engineering and medical communities in the formulation and implementation of US foreign policy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/macarthur-supports-new-science-and-security-fellowship-program-at-us-department-of-state-october-8-2002/ |title=MacArthur Supports New Science and Security Fellowship Program at U.S. Department of State |publisher=MacArthur Foundation |date=October 8, 2002 |access-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201211249/http://www.macfound.org/press/press-releases/macarthur-supports-new-science-and-security-fellowship-program-at-us-department-of-state-october-8-2002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://careers.state.gov/work/fellowships/jefferson-science |title=Jefferson Science Fellowship Program – U.S. Department of State |access-date=February 1, 2015 |archive-date=February 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207195707/http://careers.state.gov/work/fellowships/jefferson-science |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Fellows (as they are called, if chosen for the program) are paid around $50,000 during the program and can earn special bonuses of up to $10,000. The program's intent is to equip Fellows with awareness of procedural intricacies of the Department of State/USAID, to help with its daily operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/jefferson/pga_048242 |title=About the Jefferson Science Fellowship |website=sites.nationalacademies.org |access-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101015738/http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/jefferson/pga_048242 |url-status=live }}</ref> The program is applied for, follows a process starting in August, and takes about a year to learn a candidate's ranking results. Awards are not solely achievement based, but intelligence and writing skills should support one's suitability for the position as the committee determines. A candidate applies for the program online, which entails submitting a curriculum vitae, a statement of interest and a written essay. Opportunity is provided to upload letters of recommendations and nominations to support one's application.

===Franklin Fellows Program===
The Franklin Fellows Program was established in 2006 by the DoS to bring in mid-level executives from the [[private sector]] and [[non-profit organization]]s to advise the department and to work on projects.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lmdulye.com/oldp/october07/print/AlumniCorner1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302094944/http://www.lmdulye.com/oldp/october07/print/AlumniCorner1.pdf |title=Alumni Corner |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |date=March 2, 2012}}</ref>

Fellows may also work with other government entities, including [[United States Congress|the Congress]], [[White House]], and [[United States Executive Branch|executive branch]] agencies, including the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]], and [[United States Department of Homeland Security|Department of Homeland Security]]. The program is named in honor of [[Benjamin Franklin]], and aims to attract mid-career professionals to enrich and expand the department's capabilities. Unlike the Jefferson Science Fellows Program, a Franklin Fellowship is a year-long volunteer position for which one may obtain sponsor support or participate out of personal resources. Participation areas assigned to Franklin Fellows are determined by several factors, including issues of priority to the country as well as a candidate's degree of career seniority and personal interests.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://careers.state.gov/work/fellowships/franklin-fellows/ |title=Franklin Fellows Program – Careers |website=careers.state.gov |language=en-US |access-date=October 31, 2018 |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030170314/https://careers.state.gov/work/fellowships/franklin-fellows/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:YSEALI 5th Year Anniversary Logo.png|thumb|YSEALI 5th Year Anniversary Logo]]

===Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI)===
''See also [[Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative]]''

The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) (pronounced {{IPAc-en|w|aɪ|s|iː|'|l|iː}}) is a program of the DoS for emerging leaders from [[Southeast Asia]]. The program was launched by President [[Barack Obama]] in Manila in December 2013<ref>{{cite web |title=FACT SHEET: The President's Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/03/fact-sheet-president-s-young-southeast-asian-leaders-initiative |website=Obama White House |date=December 3, 2013 |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary |access-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423191010/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/03/fact-sheet-president-s-young-southeast-asian-leaders-initiative |url-status=live }}</ref> as a way to strengthen leadership development, networking, and cultural exchange among emerging leaders within the age range of 18 to 35 years old<ref>{{cite web |title=About YSEALI |url=https://asean.usmission.gov/yseali/yseali-about/ |website=U.S. Mission to ASEAN |access-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428135951/https://asean.usmission.gov/yseali/yseali-about/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> from the 10 member-states of the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] and [[Timor Leste]].

YSEALI's programs include competitive exchange fellowship programs to the [[United States]], virtual and on-ground workshops within [[Southeast Asia]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Asia Foundation Announces Participants of YSEALI Regional Workshop on Future Workforce |url=https://asiafoundation.org/2021/03/28/asia-foundation-announces-participants-of-yseali-regional-workshop-on-future-workforce/ |access-date=April 23, 2021 |agency=The Asia Foundation |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423200413/https://asiafoundation.org/2021/03/28/asia-foundation-announces-participants-of-yseali-regional-workshop-on-future-workforce/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Grant (money)|seed grant]] funding opportunities. The programs fall under the key core themes of [[civic engagement]], [[sustainable development]], [[economic development]], [[governance]], and the [[environmentalism|environment]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Institute Themes |url=https://www.ysealipfp.org/themes |website=YSEALI Professional Fellows Program |publisher=Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative |access-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423191011/https://www.ysealipfp.org/themes |url-status=live }}</ref>

Notable alumni of YSEALI include [[Vico Sotto]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Vico Sotto chosen as one of 12 global anti-corruption champions |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1886934/Manila/Local-News/Vico-Sotto-chosen-as-one-of-12-global-anti-corruption-champions |access-date=April 23, 2021 |agency=SunStar Philippines |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423200417/https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1886934/Manila/Local-News/Vico-Sotto-chosen-as-one-of-12-global-anti-corruption-champions |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Syed Saddiq]], [[Carrie Tan]], and [[Lee Chean Chung]].

===Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI)===
''See also [[Young African Leaders Initiative]]''

The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is a program of the DoS for emerging young leaders in [[Africa]]. It was begun in 2010 by President Barack Obama to promote education and networking among emerging African leaders through the Mandela Washington Fellowship which brings them to study in the United States for six weeks, with follow-up resources, and student exchange programs.<ref name="state">{{cite web |url=https://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/yali-africa/ |title=YALI and Africa |publisher=Young African Leaders Initiative |access-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313230321/https://youngafricanleaders.state.gov/yali-africa/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2014, the program was expanded to include four regional "leadership centers" in [[Ghana]], [[Kenya]], [[Senegal]] and [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/28/background-fact-sheet-president-s-young-african-leaders-initiative-yali |title=BACKGROUND & FACT SHEET: The President's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) |publisher=White House Office of the Press |date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-date=April 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430202711/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/28/background-fact-sheet-president-s-young-african-leaders-initiative-yali |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="mandela">{{cite web |title=Mandela Washington Fellowship |url=https://yali.state.gov/mwf/ |website=[[Young African Leaders Initiative]] |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-date=November 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118234307/https://yali.state.gov/mwf/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
===KL-YES program===
{{main article|Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Programs}}
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (KL-YES) program was established in 2002 to promote educational and cultural exchange between the [[United States]] and countries with significant Muslim populations. It offers high school students to study in the United States for an academic year, fostering cultural understanding and leadership skills. KL-YES includes a selective process, pre-departure orientations, academic coursework, [[cultural activities]], and [[community service]]. The [[KL-YES#Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad program|YES Abroad program]] is a reciprocal initiative that allows American students to study abroad in participating countries. Both programs aim to build global connections and mutual understanding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Asad |first=Kazi Akib Bin |date=November 15, 2018 |title=The KL-YES Program: Opportunity for the global citizen |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/event/news/the-kl-yes-program-opportunity-the-global-citizen-1660492 |access-date=July 17, 2023 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=July 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715173025/https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/event/news/the-kl-yes-program-opportunity-the-global-citizen-1660492 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Alumni TIES ===
The State Department sponsors '''Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminars''' (Alumni TIES) exclusively for alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. '''Alumni TIES''' is an opportunity for exchange alumni to learn about key regional issues, receive training, collaborate with fellow alumni, and apply for small grants to implement projects in their home communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni TIES {{!}} International Exchange Alumni |url=https://alumni.state.gov/alumni-news/alumni-thematic-international-exchange-seminars-alumni-ties |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=alumni.state.gov |archive-date=March 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302165232/https://alumni.state.gov/alumni-news/alumni-thematic-international-exchange-seminars-alumni-ties |url-status=live }}</ref> Example of one such Alumni TIES conducted by the US Embassy in Thailand was on public health and climate crisis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mangaluru: US Government selects Indian Physician for Climate crisis, public health deliberation |url=https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=935357 |access-date=March 2, 2024 |website=www.daijiworld.com |language=en |archive-date=August 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802184640/https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=935357 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Diplomats in Residence===
[[Diplomats in Residence]] are career [[Foreign Service officer]]s and [[Foreign Service specialist|specialist]]s located throughout the US who provide guidance and advice on careers, internships, and fellowships to students and professionals in communities they serve. Diplomats in Residence are located in 16 population-based regions throughout the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diplomats in Residence |url=https://careers.state.gov/connect/dir |access-date=November 18, 2016 |website=careers.state.gov |archive-date=November 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115182230/https://careers.state.gov/connect/dir |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Global Health Security==
The State Department administers a number of programs to support [[global health]] through the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy |url=https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/secretary-of-state/bureau-of-global-health-security-and-diplomacy/ |access-date=2025-06-24 |website=U.S. Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref> The Bureau is the principal body responsible for the State Department's global health programs. This includes programs such as the [[President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief |url=https://www.state.gov/pepfar/ |website=U.S. Department of State |access-date=21 July 2024}}</ref> where the bureau plans to ameliorate the [[HIV/AIDS]] [[Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS|pandemic]] by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy Strategic Plan (2024-2028) |url=https://2021-2025.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GHSD-Five-Year-Strategy_10-23-24_FINAL.pdf |access-date=June 24, 2025 |website=U.S. Department of State}}</ref> One recent initiative launched by the Department of State to support global health communication and coordinated response is the Foreign Ministry Channel "for foreign ministries to focus diplomatic attention and action on critical global health security."<ref>{{cite news |title=Launch of Foreign Ministry Channel for Global Health Security |url=https://www.state.gov/launch-of-foreign-ministry-channel-for-global-health-security/ |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=19 March 2024}}</ref>

== Military components ==

=== Department of State Department Air Wing ===
{{main|State Department Air Wing}}
[[File:State Air Wing.png|thumb|Logo of the "Air Wing" of The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) - Office of Aviation, U.S. Department of State]]
In 1978, the [[Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs]] (INL) formed an office to use excess military and government aircraft to support counter-narcotics operations of foreign states. The first aircraft used was a crop duster used to eradicate illicit crops in Mexico in cooperation with local authorities. The separate Air Wing was established in 1986 as use of aviation assets grew in the war on drugs.<ref name="USDoSMagazine">{{Cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/161997.pdf |title=US Department of State Magazine, May 2011 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530225210/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/161997.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the [[September 11 attacks]] and the subsequent [[War on terror|War on Terror]], the Air Wing went on to expand its operations from mainly anti-narcotics operations to providing security support for United States nationals and interests, primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Safe transports for various diplomatic missions were undertaken, requiring acquisition of larger aircraft, such as [[Sikorsky S-61]], [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight|Boeing Vertol CH-46]], [[Beechcraft King Air]] and [[Bombardier Dash 8|de Havilland DHC-8-300]]. In 2011, the Air Wing was operating over 230 aircraft around the world, the main missions still being counter narcotics and transportation of state officials.<ref name="USDoSMagazine"/>

===Naval Support Unit: Department of State===

[[File:Diplomatic Security photo.jpg|thumb|Naval Support Unit Seabees securing a diplomatic compound in Dec. 2010<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blogs.state.gov/stories/2017/04/20/en/critical-mission-providing-diplomatic-security-through-eyes-us-navy-seabee |title=The Critical Mission of Providing Diplomatic Security: Through the Eyes of a U.S. Navy Seabee |website=DipNote |access-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118080939/https://blogs.state.gov/stories/2017/04/20/en/critical-mission-providing-diplomatic-security-through-eyes-us-navy-seabee |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

In 1964, at the height of the Cold War, Seabees were assigned to the State Department after listening devices were found in the [[Embassy of the United States in Moscow]];<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web |url=https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/04/16/this-week-in-seabee-history-week-of-april-16/ |title=This Week in Seabee History (Week of April 16) |access-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211192300/https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2017/04/16/this-week-in-seabee-history-week-of-april-16/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> this initial unit was called the "Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FOUR, Detachment November".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181119214507/https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/280937.pdf History of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security of the United States Department of State, Chapter 5 –  Spies, Leaks, Bugs, and Diplomats, written by State Department Historian's Office, pp. 179–80, U.S. State Department ]</ref> The U.S. had just constructed a new embassy in [[Warsaw]], and the Seabees were dispatched to locate "[[Covert listening device|bugs]]". This led to the creation of the Naval Support Unit in 1966, which was made permanent two years later.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://navybmr.com/study%20material/14234a/14234A_ch1.pdf |title=Chapter 1, US Navy Basic Military Requirements for Seabees |access-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830202304/http://navybmr.com/study%20material/14234a/14234A_ch1.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9QJEAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22seabees%22+national+security+agency&pg=PA6 |title=Departments of State, Justice, Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1966: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Eighty-ninth Congress, First Session. Department of State {{!}} United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of State, Justice, Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies {{!}} Appropriations |date=July 21, 1965 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |access-date=July 21, 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref> That year William Darrah, a Seabee of the support unit, is credited with saving the U.S. Embassy in [[Prague, Czechoslovakia]] from a potentially disastrous fire.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2018/08/26/this-week-in-seabee-history-august-26-september-1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211164859/https://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/2018/08/26/this-week-in-seabee-history-august-26-september-1/ |url-status=dead |title=August 26, This Week in Seabee History (August 26 – September 1), by Dr. Frank A. Blazich Jr, NHHC, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Washington Navy Yard, DC |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |access-date=July 21, 2022}}</ref> In 1986, "as a result of reciprocal expulsions ordered by Washington and Moscow" Seabees were sent to "Moscow and Leningrad to help keep the embassy and the consulate functioning".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/25/us/washington-to-send-a-us-support-staff-to-missions-in-soviet.html |title=WASHINGTON TO SEND A U.S. SUPPORT STAFF TO MISSIONS IN SOVIET |first1=Bernard |last1=Gwertzman |work=The New York Times |date=October 25, 1986 |access-date=July 21, 2022 |via=NYTimes.com |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213123247/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/25/us/washington-to-send-a-us-support-staff-to-missions-in-soviet.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Support Unit has a limited number of special billets for select NCOs, E-5 and above. These Seabees are assigned to the [[Department of State]] and attached to [[Diplomatic Security]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/ds/protection/c8760.htm |title=Protecting Information |website=U.S. Department of State |access-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-date=October 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002182534/https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/ds/protection/c8760.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> Those chosen can be assigned to the [[Regional Security Officer]] of a specific embassy or be part of a team traveling from one embassy to the next. Duties include the installation of [[alarm systems]], [[CCTV cameras]], [[electromagnetic lock]]s, safes, vehicle barriers, and securing compounds. They can also assist with the [[security engineering]] in sweeping embassies (electronic counter-intelligence). They are tasked with new construction or renovations in security sensitive areas and supervise private contractors in non-sensitive areas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://navybmr.com/study%20material/14234a/14234A_ch1.pdf |title=US Navy Basic Military Requirements for Seabees, Chapter 1, p. 11 |access-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830202304/http://navybmr.com/study%20material/14234a/14234A_ch1.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Due to diplomatic protocol the Support Unit is required to wear civilian clothes most of the time they are on duty and receive a supplemental clothing allowance for this. The information regarding this assignment is very scant, but State Department records in 1985 indicate department security had 800 employees, plus 1,200 U.S. Marines and 115 Seabees.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barker |first=J. Craig |title=The Protection of Diplomatic Personnel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=siGgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 |date=2016 |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-01879-7 |page=92 |access-date=May 16, 2020 |archive-date=March 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328064052/https://books.google.com/books?id=siGgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> That Seabee number is roughly the same today.<ref>"From bugs to bombs, little-known Seabee unit protects US embassies from threats", ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'',  April 26, 2018,[https://www.stripes.com/news/from-bugs-to-bombs-little-known-seabee-unit-protects-us-embassies-from-threats-1.524076] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213182401/https://www.stripes.com/news/from-bugs-to-bombs-little-known-seabee-unit-protects-us-embassies-from-threats-1.524076|date=February 13, 2020}}</ref>

=== Army Reserve Counter Terrorism Unit ===
{{main|Army Reserve Counter Terrorism Unit}}
Headquartered on Navy Hill, across the street from the Harry S. Truman building, ARCTU is a component of the [[United States Army Reserve|Army Reserve]] funded and staffed by [[Military Intelligence Readiness Command]]'s National Intelligence Support Group but under operational control of the [[Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism|Bureau of Counterterrorism]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bureau of Counterterrorism |url=https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-counterterrorism/ |access-date=December 15, 2022 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215014727/https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-political-affairs/bureau-of-counterterrorism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is also a senior member of Diplomatic Security's [[Foreign Emergency Support Team]], which responds to global crises on short notice. Little information is available on the unit, though they often wear civilian clothes like other military workers for the State Department mission.

==Expenditures==
In [[Fiscal Year|FY]] 2010 the Department of State, together with "Other International Programs" (such as [[United States Agency for International Development|USAID]]), had a combined projected discretionary budget of $51.7&nbsp;billion.<ref name="FY10Budget">{{cite web |url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/fy10-newera.pdf |title=United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2010 (''vid.'' pp.88,89) |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|Government Printing Office]] |access-date=January 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205005029/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/fy10-newera.pdf |archive-date=February 5, 2011}}</ref> The [[2010 United States federal budget|United States Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2010]], entitled 'A New Era of Responsibility', specifically 'Imposes Transparency on the Budget' for the Department of State.<ref name="FY10Budget"/>

The end-of-year FY 2010 DoS Agency Financial Report, approved by [[Secretary Clinton]] on November 15, 2010, showed actual total costs for the year of $27.4&nbsp;billion.<ref name="FY10FinRep">{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |title=United States Department of State FY 2010 Agency Financial Report (''vid.'' pp.3,80) |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325145230/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Revenues of $6.0&nbsp;billion, $2.8&nbsp;billion of which were earned through the provision of consular and management services, reduced total net cost to $21.4&nbsp;billion.<ref name="FY10FinRep"/>

Total program costs for 'Achieving Peace and Security' were $7.0&nbsp;billion; 'Governing Justly and Democratically', $0.9&nbsp;billion; 'Investing in People', $4.6&nbsp;billion; 'Promoting Economic Growth and Prosperity', $1.5&nbsp;billion; 'Providing Humanitarian Assistance', $1.8&nbsp;billion; 'Promoting International Understanding', $2.7&nbsp;billion; 'Strengthening Consular and Management Capabilities', $4.0&nbsp;billion; 'Executive Direction and Other Costs Not Assigned', $4.2&nbsp;billion.<ref name="FY10FinRep"/>

===Audit of expenditures===
The Department of State's [[Auditor independence|independent auditors]] are [[Kearney & Company]].<ref name="FY10FinRepAudit">{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |title=United States Department of State FY 2010 Agency Financial Report (''vid.'' p.62ff.) |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325145230/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Since in FY 2009 Kearney & Company qualified its [[audit opinion]], noting [[materiality (auditing)|material]] financial reporting weaknesses, the DoS restated its 2009 [[financial statement]]s in 2010.<ref name="FY10FinRepAudit"/> In its FY 2010 audit report, Kearney & Company provided an unqualified audit opinion while noting significant deficiencies, of controls in relation to financial reporting and budgetary accounting, and of compliance with a number of laws and provisions relating to financial management and accounting requirements.<ref name="FY10FinRepAudit"/> In response, the DoS Chief Financial Officer observed that "the Department pursues a commitment to financial integrity, transparency, and accountability that is the equal of any large multi-national corporation."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |title=United States Department of State FY 2010 Agency Financial Report (''vid.'' p.76.) |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-date=March 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325145230/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/150505.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Central Foreign Policy File==
Since 1973 the primary record keeping system of the Department of State is the Central Foreign Policy File. It consists of copies of official telegrams, [[airgram]]s, reports, memorandums, correspondence, diplomatic notes, and other documents related to foreign relations.<ref name="aad_rg59_state_dept_faq">{{Cite FTP |title=FAQ: Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State Central Foreign Policy File, 1973–1976 |url=ftp://216.54.96.55/aad_docs/rg59_state_dept_faq.pdf |access-date=November 26, 2010 |server=National Archives and Records Administration |url-status=dead |date=August 6, 2010}}</ref> Over 1,000,000 records spanning the time period from 1973 to 1979 can be accessed online from the [[National Archives and Records Administration]].<ref name="aad_whatnew2009">{{cite web |title=What's New in AAD: Central Foreign Policy Files, created, 7/1/1973 – 12/31/1976, documenting the period 7/1/1973 ? – 12/31/1976 |url=https://aad.archives.gov/aad/whats-new.jsp |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=November 26, 2010 |year=2009 |archive-date=March 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316161159/http://aad.archives.gov/aad/whats-new.jsp |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Freedom of Information Act processing performance==
In the 2015 [[Center for Effective Government]] analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] (FOIA) (using 2012 and 2013 data), the State Department was the lowest performer, earning an "F" by scoring only 37 out of a possible 100 points, unchanged from 2013. The State Department's score was dismal due to its extremely low processing score of 23 percent, which was completely out of line with any other agency's performance.<ref>[http://www.foreffectivegov.org/access-to-information-scorecard-2015/ Making the Grade: Access to Information Scorecard 2015] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811044220/https://www.foreffectivegov.org/access-to-information-scorecard-2015 |date=August 11, 2019 }} March 2015, 80 pages, [[Center for Effective Government]], retrieved March 21, 2016</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Politics|United States}}
* [[Awards of the United States Department of State]]
* [[Diplomatic missions of the United States]]
* [[Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State|Diplomatic Reception Rooms]]
* [[Five Nations Passport Group]]
* [[Foreign policy of the United States]]
* [[History of United States foreign policy]]
* [[Timeline of United States diplomatic history]]
* [[United States Foreign Service]]
*[[Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs]]

== Notes ==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last=Short |first=Lloyd Milton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N12GAAAAMAAJ |title=The Development of National Administrative Organization in the United States, Issue 10 |publisher=[[Johns Hopkins Press]] |year=1923 |isbn=0598686584 |location=United States |language=en}}
{{Refend}}

== Primary sources ==
* [https://afsa.org/fsj-archive  ''The Foreign Service Journal'', complete issues of the Consular Bureau's monthly news magazine, 1919-present]
* [https://twitter.com/StateDept @StateDept] &mdash; official departmental X (former Twitter) account
* [https://state.gov State.gov] &mdash; official departmental website
* [https://2017-2021.state.gov 2017&mdash;2021 State.gov] &mdash; Archived website and diplomatic records &mdash; Trump administration
* [https://2009-2017.state.gov 2009&mdash;2017 State.gov] &mdash; Archived website and diplomatic records &mdash; Obama administration

== Further reading ==
* Allen, Debra J. ''Historical Dictionary of US Diplomacy from the Revolution to Secession'' (Scarecrow Press, 2012), 1775–1861.
* Bacchus, William I. ''Foreign Policy and the Bureaucratic Process: The State Department's Country Director System'' (1974
* Campbell, John Franklin. ''The Foreign Affairs Fudge Factory'' (1971)
* Colman, Jonathan. "The 'Bowl of Jelly': The US Department of State during the Kennedy and Johnson Years, 1961–1968." ''Hague Journal of Diplomacy'' 10.2 (2015): 172-196. [http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/11994/1/Colman,%20The%20%E2%80%98Bowl%20of%20Jelly%E2%80%99%20The%20US%20Department%20of%20State%20in%20the%20Kennedy%20and%20Johnson%20Years,%201961-68.pdf]
* Dougall, Richardson, "The US Department of State from hull to Acheson." in ''The Diplomats, 1939-1979'' (Princeton University Press, 2019). 38-64. [https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv8pz9nc.7 online]
* {{cite book |title=War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence |first=Ronan |last=Farrow |author-link=Ronan Farrow |year=2018 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |isbn=978-0393652109}}
* Keegan, Nicholas M. ''US Consular Representation in Britain Since 1790'' (Anthem Press, 2018).
* Kopp, Harry W. ''Career diplomacy: Life and work in the US Foreign Service'' (Georgetown University Press, 2011).
* Krenn, Michael. ''Black Diplomacy: African Americans and the State Department, 1945-69'' (2015).* Leacacos, John P. ''Fires in the In-Basket: The ABC's of the State Department'' (1968)
* [[Foreign Relations of the United States (book series)|''Foreign Relations of the United States'' series]] [https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments], published by the Office of the Historian
* Plischke, Elmer. ''U.S. Department of State: A Reference History'' (Greenwood Press, 1999)
* [[Kori Schake|Schake, Kori N.]] ''State of disrepair: Fixing the culture and practices of the State Department.'' (Hoover Press, 2013).
* Simpson, Smith. ''Anatomy of the State Department'' (1967)
* Warwick, Donald P. ''A Theory of Public Bureaucracy: Politics, Personality and Organization in the State Department'' (1975).

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{NIE Poster|State, Department of|United States Department of State}}
{{Library resources box}}
* {{official website}}
* [https://www.usaspending.gov/agency/department-of-state Department of State] on [[Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006|USAspending.gov]]
* [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/state-department U.S. Department of State] in the [[Federal Register]]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/diplomacy/index.html Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training] from the [[Library of Congress]]
* {{Internet Archive author |search=( "United States Department of State" OR "State Department" )}} (historic archives)

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