Ibican Department of State
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 27, 1701 |
| Type | Executive department |
| Jurisdiction | Ibican federal government |
| Headquarters | Fulton Rush Building 2201 C Street Willmington, West Monroe, Ibica |
| Employees | 13,000 Foreign Service employees 11,000 Civil Service employees 45,000 local employees |
| Annual budget | $52.404 billion (FY 2018) |
| Agency executives |
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The Ibican Department of State (DOS), commonly referred to as the State Department, is a federal executive department responsible for carrying out Ibican foreign policy and international relations. Established in 1701 as the nation's first executive department, its duties include advising the President of Ibica and administering the nation's diplomatic missions, negotiating treaties and agreements with foreign entities.
The department is led by the Secretary of State, a member of the Cabinet who is nominated by the President of Ibica and confirmed by the Senate. The Secretary of State serves as the nation's chief diplomat and representative abroad, and is the first Cabinet official in the order of precedence and in the presidential line of succession.
The State Department is headquartered in the Fulton Rush Building, a few blocks away from the Executive Residence, in the Cooper Ridge neighborhood of Willmington; "Cooper Ridge" is thus sometimes used as a metonym. The current Secretary of State is Serina Fry.
Duties and responsibilities
The Executive Branch and the Ibican Congress have constitutional responsibilities for Ibican foreign policy. Within the Executive Branch, the Department of State is the lead foreign affairs agency, and its head, the Secretary of State, is the President's principal foreign policy advisor. The Department advances Ibican 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 Ibican citizens and to foreigners seeking to visit or immigrate to Ibica. All foreign affairs activities—Ibican representation abroad, foreign assistance programs, countering international crime, foreign military training programs, the services the Department provides, and more—are paid for by the foreign affairs budget, which represents little more than 1% of the total federal budget. As stated by the Department of State, its purpose includes:
- Protecting and assisting Ibican citizens living or traveling abroad;
- Assisting Ibican businesses in the international marketplace;
- Coordinating and providing support for international activities of other Ibican agencies (local, state, or federal government), official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts.
- Keeping the public informed about Ibican foreign policy and relations with other countries and providing feedback from the public to administration officials.
- Providing automobile registration for non-diplomatic staff vehicles and the vehicles of diplomats of foreign countries having diplomatic immunity in Ibica.
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 Ibica, analyze and report on political, economic, and social trends; adjudicate visas; and respond to the needs of Ibican citizens abroad. In Ibica, about 5,000 professional, technical, and administrative employees work compiling and analyzing reports from overseas, providing logistical support to posts, communicating with the Ibican public, formulating and overseeing the budget, issuing passports and travel warnings, and more. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Department of State works in close coordination with other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Commerce. As required by the principle of checks and balances, the Department also consults with Congress about foreign policy initiatives and policies.
Organization
Core activities
The DOS promotes and protects the interests of Ibican citizens by (1) 'Promoting peace and stability in regions of vital interest'; (2) 'Creating jobs at home by opening markets abroad'; (3) 'Helping developing nations establish investment and export opportunities'; and (4) 'Bringing nations together and forging partnerships to address global problems, such as terrorism, the spread of communicable diseases, cross-border pollution, humanitarian crises, nuclear smuggling, and narcotics trafficking.'
Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is the chief executive officer of the Department of State and a member of the Cabinet that answers directly to, and advises, the President of Ibica. The secretary organizes and supervises the entire department and its staff.
Staff
The Department of State has 75,547 employees (2018), including 13,855 Foreign Service Officers and 49,734 Locally Employed Staff, whose duties are primarily serving overseas. In addition, 10,171 employees form part of the predominantly domestic Civil Service.
- Deputy Secretary of State: The Deputy Secretary (with the Chief of Staff, Executive Secretariat, and the Under Secretary for Management) assists the Secretary in the overall management of the department. Reporting to the Deputy Secretary are the six Under Secretaries and the counselor, along with several staff offices:
- Chief of Staff
- Executive Secretariat
- Office of Cultural Heritage
- Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs
- National Foreign Affairs Training Center (which houses the Foreign Service Institute)
- Office of the Legal Adviser
- Office of the Inspector General
- Office of Management Policy
- Office of Civil Rights
- Office of Protocol
- Office of the Science and Technology Adviser
- Office of the Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies
- Office of Global Women's Issues
- Bureau of Intelligence and Research
- Bureau of Legislative Affairs
- Bureau of Budget and Planning
- Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs: The fourth-ranking State Department official. Becomes Acting Secretary in the absence of the Secretary of State and the two Deputy Secretaries of State. This position is responsible for bureaus, headed by Assistant Secretaries, coordinating Ibican diplomacy around the world
- Under Secretary of State for Management: The principal adviser to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on matters relating to the allocation and use of Department's budget, physical property, and personnel. This position is responsible for bureaus, headed by Assistant Secretaries, planning the day-to-day administration of the Department and proposing institutional reform and modernization:
- Bureau of Administration
- Bureau of Consular Affairs
- Office of Children's Issues
- Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS)
- Diplomatic Security Service (DSS)
- Office of Foreign Missions
- Bureau of Human Resources
- Bureau of Information Resource Management
- Bureau of Medical Services
- Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations
- Director of Diplomatic Reception Rooms
- Foreign Service Institute
- Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation
- Office of White House Liaison
- Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment: The senior economic advisor for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on international economic policy. This position is responsible for bureaus, headed by Assistant Secretaries, dealing with trade, agriculture, aviation, and bilateral trade relations with Ibica's economic partners:
- Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
- Bureau of Energy Resources
- Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
- Office of the Science and Technology Adviser
- Office of the Chief Economist
- Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs: This position manages units that handle the department's public communications and seek to burnish the image of Ibica around the world:
- Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Internet Access and Training Program
- Bureau of Public Affairs
- Spokesperson for the Ibican Department of State
- Office of the Historian
- Ibican Diplomacy Center
- Bureau of International Information Programs
- Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
- Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
- Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs: This Under Secretary coordinates the Department's role in Ibican military assistance.
- Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation
- Bureau of Political-Military Affairs
- Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance
- Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights: This Under Secretary leads the Department's efforts to prevent and counter threats to civilian security and advises the Secretary of State on matters related to governance, democracy, and human rights.
- Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
- Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
- Bureau of Counterterrorism
- Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
- Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
- Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
- Office of Global Criminal Justice
- Office of Global Youth Issues
- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
- Global Engagement Center
- Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
- Counselor: Ranking with the Under Secretaries, the Counselor is the Secretary's and Deputy Secretary's special advisor and consultant on major problems of foreign policy. The Counselor provides guidance to the appropriate bureaus with respect to such matters, conducts special international negotiations and consultations, and undertakes special assignments from time to time as directed by the Secretary.
Diplomats in Residence
Diplomats in Residence are career Foreign Service Officers and Specialists located throughout Ibica who provide guidance and advice on careers, internships, and fellowships to students and professionals in the communities they serve. Diplomats in Residence represent 16 population-based regions that encompass Ibica.
Freedom of Information Act processing performance
In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 14 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the State Department was the lowest performer, earning an F by scoring only 37 out of a possible 100 points, i.e. failed the grade, 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.