Insider Quote: Next DG on Diplomacy 3.0

"One of the Secretary Clinton’s highest priorities is to increase our diplomatic staffing by 25% over the next four years. It is an ambitious but achievable goal, and can be achieved while maintaining the high standards that have allowed the Department over the years to attract and retain the nation’s best. This hiring increase has been termed “Diplomacy 3.0: Diplomacy, Development, and Defense,” reflecting the need to develop State Department personnel’s skills to support an integrated approach to foreign policy goals.

The President’s 2009 Budget will allow the Department of State to hire 2300 new Civil Service and Foreign Service employees this year, including 1200 new employees above attrition. These new personnel will fill existing vacancies, improve coordination with the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other interagency partners, and provide us opportunities to increase our training in critical skills."

Nancy J. Powell
Confirmation Testimony
As Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources
June 16, 2009