In the News Archives - State Magazine

Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Klein (right side of table, third seat from the left) opens the first annual Mission China Diversity and Inclusion Councils Workshop, May 20. Photo by Nan Hanchao

Mission China’s D&I Councils work together to effect positive change

By Kristin Gilmore Following a series of community-led conversations about structural racism in the United States in August 2020, then-Ambassador Terry Branstad called on the embassy and consulates in Mission China to establish Diversity and...

The Diplomatic Security Service’s Defensive Equipment and Armored Vehicle Division manages various defense equipment, including helmets, ear protection, vests, and more. Photo courtesy of DSS

DSS manages lifesaving equipment that protects diplomats

By Angela French In a nondescript building in Alexandria, Va., gunsmiths design and test weapons used by Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) special agents, while engineering teams develop and assess other defensive and protective gear. Vehicle...

This photo, depicting early voting in Arlington, Va., was submitted as part of the media package that the Foreign Press Centers provided to participating journalists. Photo courtesy of the Foreign Press Centers

Foreign Press Centers shift 2020 elections to web

By Katie Reedy In April, the Foreign Press Centers (FPCs) previewed their plans to promote global media coverage of the 2020 presidential elections to ensure a broad understanding of the U.S. democratic process. Soon after...

From left: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo receives a demonstration of the capabilities of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s (INR) new digital dissemination platform, Tempo, from INR Assistant Secretary Ellen E. McCarthy, and INR Chief Information Officer and Technology and Innovation Office Director, Geoff Fowler, Sept. 22. State Department photo

INR celebrates 75th anniversary

By Sarath Ganji The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is the nation’s oldest civilian intelligence agency—one with a legacy of innovation. That legacy began in 1945 when President Harry S. Truman transferred the scholarly...

From left: Ambassador John J. Sullivan, FSI Director Daniel B. Smith, and FSI Deputy Director Julieta Valls Noyes attend the placement of a plaque commemorating Sullivan’s ambassadorial training at FSI. Photo by Michael Morrison

Department leader lauds ambassadorial training at FSI

By Mark C. Storella “I am convinced more than ever that all career and non-career ambassadors must take ambassadorial training before heading out to post as the president’s personal representative,” said Ambassador John J. Sullivan,...

Third from left: Ryan Guirlinger of Embassy Rabat is presented with the Hayden G. Brown Award for Outstanding Leadership in Energy Security and Access. Members of Brown’s family and ENR Assistant Secretary Francis R. Fannon (far right) joined Guirlinger at the inaugural award ceremony. Photo by Matt McManus

Inaugural memorial award honors work in energy security and access

By Adrian Howe This year marked the inaugural Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) Hayden G. Brown Award for Outstanding Leadership in Energy Security and Access, which honors the outstanding energy-policy work of the late Hayden...

Ambassador Earl Miller watches an Ella Mask employee create a mask during a visit to their business, Sept. 15, 2020. Photo courtesy of Embassy Dhaka

Embassy Dhaka Resilience Working Group breathes life into mask program

By Jill Darken, Theresa Gibson, and Steve Lettic

A lead reporter from the Korean Broadcasting service does a standing interview during a rally in Exeter, N.H. Photo by Caroline Savage

GPA Foreign Press Centers show U.S. elections to the world

By Katie Reedy The quadrennial U.S. presidential elections are the cornerstone of American democracy and an example for the world. The Foreign Press Centers (FPC) capitalize on this election cycle by building a year-long slate...

The Global Engagement Center’s technology Testbed has been used to research a wide gamut of technologies, including Harmony Square, a counter-disinformation game. Photo by Sam Stewart

Global Engagement Center game counters foreign disinformation

By Patricia Watts Of all the tools and techniques available to counter the effects of foreign disinformation and propaganda, a well-engineered video game may be among the most effective. In early November, the U.S. Global Engagement...

Members of the Innovation Unit, (from left) Senior Advisor to the DG and Unit Director M. Brooke Darby, Innovation Advisor Dori Winter and Program Analyst Bianca Blanchard. Photo by Isaac D. Pacheco

Focused on innovation

By Bianca Blanchard The Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources (DG) Carol Z. Perez has been visiting domestic offices and posts abroad to hear directly from employees. These conversations have...