Swearing in Ceremony of Eric J. Boswell As Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director, Office of Foreign Missions

Remarks by Ambassador Eric J. Boswell
Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director, Office of Foreign Missions
Swearing-in Ceremony
Washington, DC
August 7, 2008
(as prepared for delivery)

Secretary Rice, Under Secretary Kennedy, family, friends, colleagues.

Madame Secretary, thank you for being here today. It means a great deal to me and to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security to have your continuing strong encouragement and support so visibly demonstrated. I want to thank you, and the President, and the Senate for the trust and confidence you have placed in me, and for providing me with this opportunity to be of further service to the Department of State and to our nation. I also want to acknowledge the support given to me by Ambassador Negroponte both as Director of National Intelligence and here at the State Department.

To Under Secretary Pat Kennedy, who has sat in the DS chair himself during some very tough times, I deeply appreciate your friendship as well as the very strong support you give to DS, and I pledge to you and to the Secretary my best efforts in the months ahead.

To Deputy Assistant Secretary Greg Starr who served so ably in this position, in an acting capacity, during the past nine months, I want to say this: you have set an example for every man and woman in the Diplomatic Security Service. Thank you for your leadership.

And I also want to acknowledge former Secretary Larry Eagleburger, who could not be here today but who has been an inspiration to me from the time I was a junior officer staffing for him many years ago.

To my wife Nancy, who has helped me so much, and endured much, including some very extended separations, during my government career, and who contributes much in her own right to the objectives of a civil society, my greatest love. My son Nathaniel, a Stanford man, madame Secretary, like his brother here and their father and grandfather, is unable to attend today because he is on his honeymoon. So he gets a pass. Both he and my son Matthew, who is standing here after just getting off the redeye from Seattle, are my pride and joy. Matt, I'm so glad you're here. And also to my stepson Jeremy and his wife Gretchen, who are on the verge of their own big event, my great love.

I am very proud to be working with the women and men of DS once again. One very seldom gets a chance to repeat in a job one loves. As most of you know, I served as Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security in the mid-90s. And in fact, as the Secretary noted, I am second generation in this job: my father, a Foreign Service Officer as well, served as Director of SY, the Office of Security, a half-century ago. He may have been one of the first of the black dragons, as we are known by DS agents - no doubt affectionately.

I left the State Department a decade ago, after 27 years as a career FSO, and I have had two mini-careers since, one in the United Nations system and one in the Intelligence Community, and have been greatly enriched by both, very different, experiences. But my heart has always been with this Department of State and the Foreign Service. I believe a career in the Foreign Service, whether as a Foreign Service Officer or a Diplomatic Security Special Agent, or any of the other Foreign Service and Civil Service career paths here, is an unparalleled opportunity to serve our nation alongside patriotic, dedicated, highly motivated colleagues.

The DS cadre is an exceptional group of public servants dedicated to providing world-class law enforcement and security services at home and abroad, in a world where the security challenges facing us are enormous. We do this in support of the courageous men and women in the Foreign Service who are on the front lines of diplomacy around the world, including some of the most politically volatile and dangerous places on our planet. The men and women of Diplomatic Security are proud to stand with our Foreign Service colleagues, and we remain steadfast in our commitment of service to our country and the ideals our country embodies.

Ladies and gentlemen, Secretary Shultz was fond of noting that "the days here are long, but the years are short." I know that to be the case, and certainly much hard work lies ahead for all of us. I ask for your help and support as we shoulder the tasks before us. The Bureau of Diplomatic Service is a key part of America's security structure, and together we can make a tremendous difference in the lives of our colleagues and the welfare of our nation.

Thanks again to all of you for sharing in this special day.