United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a vital component of the U.S. government's diplomatic efforts, operating under the Department of State to represent American interests abroad. It consists of approximately 13,000 diplomats who engage with foreign governments and assist American citizens overseas, supported by an additional 45,000 staff at international posts. The Foreign Service has evolved from earlier diplomatic practices dating back to the late 18th century and plays a crucial role in implementing U.S. foreign policy, which is shaped by the President and Congress.
To become a member of the Foreign Service, individuals must pass the Foreign Service Officer Test, which assesses their knowledge and skills. The organization has faced scrutiny for its historical composition, often perceived as lacking diversity, but efforts have been made to improve representation, particularly regarding gender and race. Members serve in around 170 countries, sometimes facing significant risks, including threats to their safety. The Foreign Service also includes the Foreign Service Institute, which provides training in languages and diplomatic practices to prepare individuals for their roles.
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United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is the part of the United States government that sends ambassadors, envoys, ministers, and other officers overseas to represent the United States and protect American interests. The United States Foreign Service is made up of thousands of employees, many of whom have to pass an exam to ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to be diplomats. The President and Congress of the United States help to choose ambassadors and other important officers in the Foreign Service.
Background
Foreign service is the field of diplomacy in which people who represent one government go abroad to communicate and work with foreign governments and to protect the interests and people of their own governments. Most countries around the world engage in foreign service, which is also called diplomatic service, of some type. Most countries also have dedicated parts of their government that deal with foreign service. This type of diplomacy developed when many world powers were ruled by monarchs. Family members and other allies of the monarchs would go abroad to represent the monarch and work to advance the monarch’s interests. These early diplomats, since they were close to the monarchs, were generally wealthy and part of the ruling class. However, in the 1800s and 1900s, world governments began to change. More countries were run by leaders who were elected by the people. As governments became more democratic, the makeup of their foreign services changed, too. Diplomats working in foreign service in contemporary times are often of the same social class as the people in other parts of the government. However, foreign service positions are still often awarded to people who have supported a particular political leader, leading to criticism that many appointments are the result of nepotism.
Overview
The United States Foreign Service is composed mostly of employees from the US Department of State, which is the main part of the US government that conducts American diplomacy and advises the president on foreign policy. The Secretary of State is the leader of the Department of State and is chosen by the president and approved by the Senate. Employees from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce may also be in the US Foreign Service. The US Foreign Service is made of over 13,000 representatives who travel abroad to communicate with foreign governments and protect and help American citizens living and traveling in other countries. The US Foreign Service also employs roughly 45,000 staff at overseas posts. The stated goal of the State Department, and therefore the US Foreign Service, is to protect Americans and American interests and to implement foreign policies that help the world.
The current US Foreign Service developed out of previous diplomatic programs run by the Department of State. The department itself, which was originally called the Department of Foreign Affairs, was created in 1789. In April 1792, Congress created consuls, officials who go overseas to conduct diplomacy and promote their countries’ interests, for the first time. The first American consuls went to northern Africa. The Diplomatic Service was the organization that maintained and staffed embassies. The Consular Service was the organization that promoted American commerce and helped American sailors. For many years, the government did not pay US consuls. In 1895, President Grover Cleveland issued an executive order that required possible consuls to pass a test to show they spoke a foreign language. It also provided them with pay. Another executive order, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, required people to pass exams to receive positions in either the Consular Service or the Diplomatic Service. The Foreign Service Act of 1924, also called the Rogers Act, joined the Consular Service and Diplomatic Service into one organization. This formed the US Foreign Service.
The US Foreign Service has many different positions, with the most prestigious being members—including ambassadors and envoys—who travel and live abroad to represent the United States. The US president, with the consent and advice of the Senate, can appoint people to fill various roles in the Foreign Service, including the roles of ambassador, envoy, minister, and ambassador at large. The secretary of state can fill other roles, including attaché and vice consul.
People working in the US Foreign Service have to pass the Foreign Service Officer Test. This test measures people’s knowledge (including topics such as technology and management) and skills (including writing and language skills). Applicants also have to complete oral assessments to prove their qualifications.
Members of the US Foreign Service serve in over 170 countries. Members working in roughly thirty of these countries receive increased pay because of the danger they face in their work. Foreign Service members have been the targets of kidnapping and even murder. Between 1950 and 2020, eight US ambassadors died in the line of duty overseas.
The US Foreign Service has faced criticism from American citizens. One of the criticisms is that many members of the Foreign Service are White, upper-class males. In the past, many members of the Foreign Service attended Ivy League schools, which are also attended overwhelmingly by White, wealthy students. Since the 1980s, the Foreign Service’s makeup has begun to change, though racial equality is still a problem in the organization. In 1970, only about 5 percent of Foreign Service officers were women. By 2003, about 40 percent of Foreign Service officers were women. Into the 2020s, this number varied with category and rank, but it remained relatively steady. In 2005, still only about 6 percent of the Foreign Officers were African American. At the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century, over 20 percent of the Foreign Service identified as a racial minority. However, despite initiatives to promote diversity and the small progress made, challenges remained.
The role and function of the US Foreign Service is supposed to be to protect American citizens and American interests overseas. However, members of the US Foreign Service are not supposed to develop their own policies or efforts. Foreign Service officers are supposed to implement the president’s foreign policy. The president and the State Department also decide when to rely on diplomacy and when to use military intervention, though the government is supposed to use military intervention only as a last resort.
The State Department also includes an organization called the Foreign Service Institute, which is a teaching organization. This group helps Americans prepare to serve in the Foreign Service. The organization includes the School of Language Studies, which offers instruction in more than sixty-five languages. It also offers training in diplomatic trades, leadership, and technology. The organization additionally helps prepare Americans for transitioning to life in different countries, which have different customs, norms, and laws.
Bibliography
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“Commissions, Titles, and Rank.” US Department of State, fam.state.gov/FAM/03FAH01/03FAH012430.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
“Danger Pay Allowance.” US Department of State, 12 Jan. 2025, allowances.state.gov/web920/danger‗pay‗all.asp. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
De Luce, Dan. “Fewer Americans Are Opting for Careers at the State Department.” NBC News, 25 Feb. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fewer-americans-are-opting-careers-state-department-n973631. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Drenning, Kathryn. “Achieving Parity for Women in the Foreign Service.” American Foreign Service Association, afsa.org/achieving-parity-women-foreign-service. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
“Foreign Service Institute.” US Department of State, www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-management/foreign-service-institute. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
“Foreign Service Officer.” US Department of State, careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
“FSO 5 Step Selection Process.” US Department of State, June 2024, careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/officer/test-process. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Ray, Charles. “Foreign Service Promotion Process Falls Short of Diversity Goals, Audit Finds.” Washington International Diplomatic Academy, 8 Dec. 2024, diplomaticacademy.us/2024/12/08/foreign-service-promotions-diversity. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Weintraub, Leon. “Five Myths about the Foreign Service.” Washington Post, 20 Jul. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-the-foreign-service/2017/07/20/8aac2a4e-67f5-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf‗story.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.