State Department
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The State Department processed over 24 million passport books and cards in fiscal 2023 — a new record. And it's back to processing passport applications within 6-8 weeks for routine service.
December 18, 2023 -
The State Department is honoring Michelle Neyland, a congressional adviser for its Bureau of International Affairs who helped make a pay raise for Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas a reality.
December 11, 2023 -
Between newly introduced bipartisan legislation and guidance from OPM, military spouses are getting several possible avenues to more flexible employment in government.
November 24, 2023 -
The department's AI strategy reflects Secretary of State Antony Blinken's focus on modernizing and expanding the role of U.S. diplomacy to focus on emerging tech issues.
November 20, 2023 -
The State Department is bringing in a record volume of new hires, but is calling on lawmakers for increased budgets through the end of the decade to fully replenish its ranks.
November 13, 2023 -
Because of military aid to Ukraine and, presumably Israel, the U.S. defense industrial base is strained right now. Manufacturers of platforms and ammunition must deal with a list of regulatory and legal challenges. For more, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with attorney Justin Chiarodo, a partner at Blank Rome.
November 09, 2023 -
At a ceremony earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken presented five American companies, large and small, with the department's Award for Corporate Excellence. The awards recognize companies that reflect the administration's focus areas when it comes to corporate diplomacy. To learn more about this year's awards, Federal Drive Executive Producer spoke to Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs at the State Department, Sarah Morgenthau.
November 01, 2023 -
In today's Federal Newscast: Federal employees’ demand for mental health services overseas is rising, but help for them is spread thin. HHS surpasses targets for hiring military spouses. And bid protests spiked in fiscal 2022.
October 27, 2023 -
The State Department is increasing its capacity to train members of the Foreign Service, and expanding the fields of expertise for its diplomatic corps, as the department embarks on its largest hiring of career diplomats in more than a decade.
October 23, 2023 -
An urgent report from the Government Accountability Office is aimed at the State Department. GAO called for State to, in its words, "expeditiously get on with a cybersecurity risk management program." State has a plan, now it has to carry it out. For more on this, Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Jennifer Franks, GAO's Director of Information Technology and Cybersecurity.
October 18, 2023 -
The State Department tool cost about $400,000 to develop and is at least 97% as accurate as humans, according to an agency leader.
October 09, 2023 -
Andre Mendes, the chief information officer at the Department of Commerce, was one of several agency technology executives pushing for more consistency around cyber metrics under the FITARA scorecard.
October 02, 2023 -
The massively bipartisan Chance to Compete Act aims to modernize federal hiring — but experts say limitations in HR offices could stunt its potential, while others think the bill doesn’t take hiring reform far enough.
September 04, 2023 -
Jimmy Hall Jr., the State Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s chief information officer and director of the Technology and Innovation Office, said he will release a top secret cloud strategy to improve the agility, security and capabilities for the department.
August 28, 2023 -
Two young State Department foreign affairs officers helped secure recent releases of Americans held in by foreign countries. That fact has landed them as finalists in this year's Service to America Medals program, aka "the Sammies." Fletcher Schoen developed the negotiation strategy for basketball player Brittney Griner, among others. And Jennifer Harkins was instrumental in the 2022 release of nine Americans held by Venezuela.
August 24, 2023