The United States Department of State (DOS),or simply the State Department,is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nations,its primary duties are advising the U.S. president on international relations,administering diplomatic missions,negotiating international treaties and agreements,protecting citizens abroad and representing the U.S. at the United Nations. The department is headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building,a few blocks from the White House,in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington,D.C.;"Foggy Bottom" is thus sometimes used as a metonym.
The United States order of precedence is an advisory document maintained by the Ceremonials Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol of the United States which lists the ceremonial order,or relative preeminence,for domestic and foreign government officials at diplomatic,ceremonial,and social events within the United States and abroad. The list is used to mitigate miscommunication and embarrassment in diplomacy,and offer a distinct and concrete spectrum of preeminence for ceremonies. Often the document is used to advise diplomatic and ceremonial event planners on seating charts and order of introduction. Former presidents,vice presidents,first ladies,second ladies,and secretaries of state and retired Supreme Court justices are also included in the list.
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) is the school of international relations at Georgetown University in Washington,D.C. It grants degrees at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence agency in the United States Department of State. Its central mission is to provide all-source intelligence and analysis in support of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. INR is the oldest civilian element of the U.S. Intelligence Community and among the smallest,with roughly 300 personnel. Though lacking the resources and technology of other U.S. intelligence agencies,it is "one of the most highly regarded" for the quality of its work.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security,commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS),is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations,threat analysis,cyber security,counterterrorism,and protection of people,property,and information. Its mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for officials to execute the foreign policy of the United States.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the principal law enforcement and security agency of the United States Department of State (DOS). As the operational division of DOS Bureau of Diplomatic Security,its primary mission is to provide security to protect diplomatic assets,personnel,and information,and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud. DSS also conducts counterterrorism,counterintelligence,cybersecurity and criminal investigations domestically and abroad.
The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the secretary of defense and the deputy secretary of defense for all matters concerning the formation of national security and defense policy.
Rewards for Justice Program (RFJ) is United States Department of State's national security interagency program that offers reward for information leading to the location or an arrest of leaders of terrorist groups,financiers of terrorism,including any individual that abide in plotting attacks carried out by foreign terrorist organizations. RFJ directly addresses the foreign threat by identifying entities such as key leaders and financial mechanism of the foreign terrorist organizations. RFJ's mission objective is to obtain information that will protect American lives in best interest of U.S. national security. RFJ is managed by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) administered by the U.S. State Department Office Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
A regional security officer (RSO) is a special agent of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) in charge of a regional security office. The RSO is the principal security attachéand advisor to the U.S. ambassador at American embassies and consulates. Working for the United States Department of State as special agents,RSOs are also considered to be officers of the State Department acting as specialists within the United States Foreign Service. The RSO is also the senior law enforcement representative at a U.S. Embassy.
Mobile Security Deployments (MSD) is a small specialized tactical unit within the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) of the United States Department of State. The MSD provides U.S. embassies and consulates with security support,protects the Secretary of State and other U.S. officials,including domestically as well as visiting foreign officials,and also provides security training at U.S embassies and consulates.
Tracey Ann Jacobson is an American diplomat and a former United States ambassador to Turkmenistan,Tajikistan,Kosovo and Ethiopia. She served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from January 2017 through October 2017. She retired then returned to active duty in 2021 as the State Department's Director of the Afghanistan Task Force,and then as Chargéd’Affaires,ad interim,at the Embassy in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. In January 2024,she was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the United States ambassador to Iraq.
A Regional Security Office is the office at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate that oversees all functions of security. It is headed by a special agent of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) who has the title of Regional Security Officer (RSO).
Gregory B. Starr is an American diplomat and the former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. He was previously the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security. He was selected by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on May 6,2009.
Peter Michael McKinley is an American diplomat. A career Foreign Service Officer,McKinley served as U.S. Ambassador to Peru (2007–2010),Colombia (2010–2013),Afghanistan (2015–2016),and Brazil (2017–2018),and then as Senior Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State (2018–2019).
Earl Anthony Wayne is an American diplomat. Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs,Ambassador to Argentina and Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan,Wayne served nearly four years as Ambassador to Mexico. He was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate in August,2011. He departed Mexico City for Washington July 31,2015 and retired from the State Department on September 30,2015. Wayne attained the highest rank in the U.S. diplomatic service:Career Ambassador. He is currently a Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence at American University's School of International Service where he teaches courses related to diplomacy and US foreign policy. Wayne also works with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,the Atlantic Council,the Center for Strategic and International Studies,. Wayne is co-chair of the Mexico Institute's Advisory Board at the Wilson Center. He is also on the board of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Public Diplomacy Council of America. Wayne is an independent consultant,speaker and writer and works with several not-for-profit professional associations. He was an adviser for HSBC Latin America on improving management of financial crime risk from 2015 until 2019 and served on the board of the American Foreign Service Association from 2017 to 2019.
Eric J. Boswell is an American diplomat who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security from 2008 to 2012. He previously served in the same post from 1996 to 1998.
This article is a bibliography of information for the Diplomatic Security Service,Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
John Milton Steeves was an American career diplomat who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs from 1959 to 1962;Ambassador to Afghanistan from 1962 to 1966;and Director General of the Foreign Service from 1966 to 1969.
Paul R. Houston is an American federal law enforcement officer who serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Department of State for the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for Threat Investigations and Analysis (TIA).
Julie S. Cabus is an American federal law enforcement criminal investigator who serves as the Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) as a Deputy Assistant Secretary and assistant director of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Training Directorate since 2021. As a member of the Senior Foreign Service and team,she led and participated in numerous projects in the public and the private sectors,involving threat analysis and investigations,managing both domestic and overseas training of all security and law enforcement training programs and policies for DSS. Prior to her current employment,she served as the assistant director for DSS Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate as the deputy assistant director at Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis. As the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Diplomatic Security,she manages the Office of Anti-Terrorism,the Office of Technical Security Engineering,the Office of Mobile Security Deployments (MSD). Cabus served in the Diplomatic Security Service Washington Field Office as the Bureau Security Officer. Special Agent Julie Cabus has been employed with the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security since March 1999 and was named head of security and law enforcement training at U.S. Department of State in March 2021.
