America's foreign-policy muscle is withering — while China bulks up its own

pulse

February 12, 2018 9:07 PM

Morale at the State Department is low and likely to be further eroded by Trump's proposed budget cuts — meanwhile, China is boosting its overseas presence.

Morale at the State Department has eroded significantly during President Donald Trump's first year in office.
The dour mood has been illustrated by the ongoing outflux of important foreign policy hands and senior diplomats.
Dismay is simmering in Foggy Bottom as China beefs up its diplomatic corps to play a bigger role around the world.

The shrinking of the US State Department and the sidelining of its diplomatic corps, the backbone of American foreign policy, were major themes during Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first year at Foggy Bottom.

The State Department's civilian workforce fell more than 6% between September 2016 and September 2017, which includes the first eight months of the Trump administration. The number of employees in administrative and legal positions fell 5.4%.

Within the foreign affairs occupation series, the number of employees fell 11.9%, from 2,580 in December 2016 to 2,273 in September 2017, according to Government Executive. Foreign affairs employees were more than 40% of the 836 civilian workers who left between January 1 and September 30.

Highly experienced members of the State Department have been a disproportionate percentage of those departures. Between December 2016 and September 2017, 16.2% of employees with 25 or more years of experienced left. The number of employees in the foreign-affairs occupation series with at least 25 years of experienced shrunk 13.1% over the same period.

The department's foreign service ranks, which includes diplomats and support staff, fell 1.2% in Tillerson's first year, but the number of foreign service officers — those responsible for political, diplomatic, and economic relations — fell by about 2%, with 166 leaving.

Tillerson — whose planned reorganization the State Department has been criticized by legislators — kept a hiring freeze in place for most of his first year on the job. He eased it at the end of December for eligible family members and announced the expansion of the Expanded Professional Associates Program, which provided bureaus with greater placement flexibility.

Amb. Barbara Stephenson, president of the American Foreign Service Association, said in December that the Foreign Service's "leadership ranks are being depleted at a dizzying speed." When Obama left office, the State Department had five career ambassadors, but with the departure of Tom Shannon, a 34-year State Department veteran, earlier this month, just one remains.

"We call on you to ensure our nation also has the civilian resources necessary to protect our national security, compete against our adversaries, and create opportunities around the world," the letter says. "We must not undercut our nation's ability to lead around the world in such turbulent times."

pulse