Department of State
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Who We Are |
Mission:
The Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy and the Secretary of State is the President's principal foreign policy advisor. All foreign affairs activities, including U.S. representation abroad, foreign assistance programs, countering international crime, foreign military training programs, services for American citizens abroad, and many others, are under the direction of the Secretary of State. The mission of the Department, working closely with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is to "advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system". The State/USAID Joint Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 can be found at http://www.state.gov/s/d/rm/rls/dosstrat/2007.
Organization:
The Department's mission is carried out by seven bureaus covering the geographic regions of the world and international organizations, and over 30 functional and management bureaus. These bureaus provide policy guidance, program management, administrative support, and in-depth expertise in matters such as law enforcement, economics, the environment, intelligence, arms control, human rights, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, public diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, nonproliferation and consular services. The Department has an extensive presence with over 260 embassies, consulates and other posts worldwide. For more information about the Department, please visit www.state.gov. The most recent version of the Department's organization chart can be found on page 8 of the Fiscal Year 2008 Agency Financial Report (AFR) at http://www.state.gov/s/d/rm/rls/perfrpt/2008.
Personnel: The Department's integrated workforce implements U.S. foreign policy worldwide to achieve the agency's strategic goals, and is comprised of Foreign Service Officers (11,000 or 38 percent), Civil Service staff (9,000 or 30 percent) and Foreign Service Nationals (10,000 or 32 percent). Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Nationals overseas constitute America's first line of defense in a complex and often dangerous world. For more personnel data, please see page 9 of the Fiscal Year 2008 Agency Financial Report per link above. Budgetary Resources: The budgetary resources appropriated for Fiscal Year 2008 and allocated by strategic goal, totaled approximately $19 billion or $114 per person and includes both foreign assistance to other countries and the Department?s overseas and domestic operations funds. Note: The total spending reported is State Department only, and does not include USAID funding which is combined in the International Affairs account within the President's Budget. |
Budget Snapshot |
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Performance Snapshot |
Accomplishments:
In FY 2008, the Department of State worked closely with USAID and other U.S. Government partners to advance foreign policy objectives. The Department continued the civilian surge component of the President?s Iraq strategy and has completed a landmark Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government. The Secretary successfully negotiated a nuclear agreement with India, launched the Merida Initiative with Mexico and countries of Central America with the aim of combating the threats of drug trafficking, transnational crime and money laundering, and used U.S. diplomacy to defuse the Russian/Georgian conflict. The Department also filled 100 percent of critical needs positions in Iraq and Afghanistan, issued 16 million travel documents in a timely manner, and completed new embassy compounds overseas in Beijing, Berlin and Baghdad, among others, which enabled over 19,000 employees to move into more secure facilities.
Challenges: The Department's management and performance challenges are focused in the following areas: making its people, facilities and information more secure; improving the protection of personally identifiable information; strengthening contracting and procurement; ensuring an appropriately sized, skilled and trained diplomatic workforce; strengthening border security; better integrating public diplomacy, and improving coordination and management of foreign assistance activities. For the latest assessment of the Department's Management and Performance Challenges conducted by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), please see pages 101-105 in the FY 2008 Agency Financial Report. An abridged version of the statement from the OIG will be highlighted in the Fiscal Year 2008 Citizens' Report. |
$ in millions
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Summary of Department of State Ratings for Fiscal Year 2008
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Strategic Goal:
Governing Justly and Democratically
Advance the growth of democracy and good governance, including civil society, the rule of law, respect for human rights, political competition, and religious freedom. |
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2008 Actual = $871
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Number of Domestic Election Observers Trained with U.S. Assistance (Note: 2009 Target is significantly lower as there are many less elections to monitor). | New Indicator | 53,258 | 27,536 | 24,629 | 3,700 |
Strategic Goal:
Investing in People
Improve health, education, and other social services to help nations create sustainable improvements in the well-being and productivity of their citizens. |
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2008 Actual = $2,418
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Number of People Receiving HIV/AIDS Treatments in the 15 Focus Countries of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Note: Joint Program with USAID) | 822,000 | 1.35 million | 1.7 million | 2 million | 2 million |
Strategic Goal:
Promoting Economic Growth and Prosperity
Strengthen world economic growth and protect the environment, while expanding opportunities for U.S. businesses and ensuring economic and energy security for the nation. |
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2008 Actual = $777
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Status of Negotiations and Policy Changes Impacting Services, Trade, and Investment | 6 Policy Successes | 13 Policy Successes | 13 Policy Successes | 12 Policy Successes | 13 Policy Successes |
Strategic Goal:
Providing Humanitarian Assistance
Minimize the human costs of displacement, conflicts, and natural disasters to save lives and alleviate suffering. |
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2008 Actual = $338
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Percent of Refugees Admitted to the U.S. Compared to the Regional Ceilings | 69 percent | 97 percent | 100 percent | 86 percent | 100 percent |
Strategic Goal:
Promoting International Understanding
Foster mutual understanding through a two-way flow of people, ideas, and information to create peaceful and productive relationships between the U.S. and other countries. |
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2008 Actual = $1,437
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Percentage of Participants who Increased their Understanding or Knowledge of the United States Immediately following their Program | New Indicator | 93 percent | 93 percent | 95 percent | 94 percent |
Strategic Goal:
Strengthening Consular and Management Capabilites
Assist American citizens to travel, conduct business and live abroad securely, and ensure a high-quality workforce supported by a modern, secure infrastructure and operational capabilities. |
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2008 Actual = $6,739
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Performance Measure(s)* | 2006 Results | 2007 Results | 2008 Target | 2008 Results | 2009 Target |
Percent of Passport Applications Processed within Targeted Timeframe | 90 percent | 71 percent | 100 percent | 100 percent | 100 percent |