Modernizing American Diplomacy for a New Era

I’m proud of everything we’ve done to implement our modernization agenda, but there’s more work to be done. The stronger the State Department is, the more effective our diplomacy is, and the more successful we’ll be at delivering for the American people.Secretary Antony J. Blinken delivers remarks on American Diplomacy for a New Era at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia. (Official State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Geopolitical competition is underway to shape a new era in international affairs. The world we face is more competitive. It’s more complex and more combustible than at any other point in my career.

To meet this moment, our diplomacy and this department have to be fit for purpose, organized, resourced, and with the talent to lead on the most pressing issues of our time.

Three years ago, we launched a plan to strengthen and revitalize American diplomacy for this new age in international affairs.

We’ve made a lot of progress since then, but there’s more work to be done. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far.

Reorganizing and Investing in the Department

First, we’ve reorganized the department and invested in our ability to lead on the issues that are increasingly animating our diplomacy. 

In the wake of COVID, President Biden made it clear that we needed to prioritize health diplomacy. So we created the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy. This team works with our partners abroad to strengthen health systems, fight deadly diseases, and prevent future pandemics.

The challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China touch every aspect of our foreign policy and every region of the world. So we built what we call “China House” – an office that brings together experts from across the Department and other agencies under one roof. Here, they can better coordinate and manage this most complex and consequential relationship.

We’ve also made the State Department a leader in our federal government for incorporating artificial intelligence into our work. 

We recently rolled out AI tools, including our State Department chat bot. They saved our teams tens of thousands of hours, translating documents, fact-checking reports, tracking international news and social media posts. This created instantly accessible databases of diplomatic knowledge and practice. 

Investing in Our Workforce

New structures and innovations will only deliver if they’re matched by investments in our workforce. In many ways, that’s really at the heart of everything we’ve been trying to do for the last three and a half years. 

We’re recruiting and retaining the best talent that America has to offer, building a more robust and equitable pipeline for the next generation of diplomats. 

We’re making job opportunities more inclusive. We launched a paid internship program for the first time in the history of the Department. It’s already brought on 1,700 interns, making entry-level roles more accessible for people from a broader range of socioeconomic backgrounds. We moved the Foreign Service application process online instead of requiring that many candidates pay to travel to D.C. for an interview.

One of my top priorities as Secretary has also been to make sure the Department capitalizes on one of our nation’s greatest strengths: our diversity. 

In 2021, I created the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We’re making our embassies and ambassadors’ residences more accessible. We’ve expanded access to assistive technologies, from adaptive keyboards to magnification software, so that people with disabilities have the tools that they need to do their best work. 

When our diplomats have the resources they need, the support they deserve, and the chance to contribute to their full potential, there’s nothing they can’t do. 

Our Revitalized Diplomacy Impacts the World

Here are a few examples of how all of this is translated into the real world: 

When it comes to the People’s Republic of China, we’ve achieved a level of strategic convergence with allies and partners across and between the Atlantic and Pacific that was unimaginable just a few years ago.

At the same time, we’re strengthening energy security by helping our European Union partners reduce their dependence on Russian gas. In 2021, 45 percent of their natural gas imports came from Russia. Today, it’s down to less than 15 percent. 

These developments, and so many others, show the power and purpose of a revitalized American diplomacy.