Dozens of young minority and female State Department recruits received startling and unwelcome news last week: They would not be able to soon join the Foreign Service despite having been promised that opportunity. Their saga is just the latest sign that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s rush to slash the size of the State Department without a plan is harming diplomacy and having negative unintended effects. Is the State Department still committed to diversity? State wants to cut 8 percent of the State Department foreign and civil service workforce by the end of next year, so onboarding new diplomats didn’t make much sense. The State Department set arbitrary personnel reduction goals before its own internal organizational review is even complete.

Source: Washington Post June 18, 2017 23:17 UTC