# United States Department of State *Executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for foreign policy* The United States Department of State (DOS), usually shortened to the State Department, is the executive department of the U.S. federal government that handles the country's foreign policy and foreign relations.[^1] Its primary duties are advising the president on international relations, running diplomatic missions, negotiating treaties and agreements, protecting citizens abroad, and representing the United States at the United Nations.[^1] Its headquarters is the Harry S. Truman Building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and "Foggy Bottom" is sometimes used as a name for the department itself.[^1] Created in 1789, the department was the first administrative body of the federal executive branch.[^1] A secretary of state leads it, sits in the Cabinet and reports directly to the president. Among Cabinet officials, the secretary ranks first both in the order of precedence and in the presidential line of succession.[^1] Marco Rubio holds the office. President Donald Trump appointed him, and the Senate confirmed him by 99–0 on January 20, 2025.[^1] In 2024 the department ran 271 diplomatic posts around the world, a number exceeded only by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.[^1] It manages the U.S. Foreign Service and trains U.S. officials and military personnel in diplomacy. It shares jurisdiction over immigration and issues passports and visas.[^1] It also runs the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), the oldest U.S. civilian intelligence agency, and the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), its law enforcement arm.[^1] ## History ### Eighteenth century Under the Articles of Confederation, the government had no distinct executive branch. In 1775 the Congress of the Confederation gave foreign affairs to the Committee of Secret Correspondence. That committee became the Committee of Foreign Affairs in 1777. In 1781 a permanent Department of Foreign Affairs took its place, led by a newly created secretary of foreign affairs.[^2] The Constitution was drafted in September 1787 and ratified in 1788. It assigned the conduct of foreign relations to the president. The First Congress passed a bill re-creating the Department of Foreign Affairs on July 21, 1789, and President George Washington signed it on July 27. The department was thus the first federal agency formed under the new Constitution. The 1789 act is still the department's basic statute.[^3] A further act in September 1789 gave the agency its present name, the Department of State. It also assigned several domestic tasks: running the United States Mint, keeping the Great Seal of the United States, and administering the census. Washington signed it on September 15. Federal bodies created during the 19th century took over most of those tasks, but the secretary remains keeper of the Great Seal.[^3] ## Duties and responsibilities Within the executive branch, the department is the lead U.S. agency for foreign affairs, and the secretary of state is the president's principal adviser on foreign policy.[^4] Its listed core activities include: - protecting and assisting U.S. citizens abroad; - helping American businesses in international markets; - coordinating the international work of other government agencies; - keeping the public informed about U.S. foreign policy; - registering vehicles of foreign diplomats who have diplomatic immunity.[^4] All foreign affairs spending comes from the foreign affairs budget, which is slightly over 1% of the federal budget.[^4] ## Organization ### Secretary of state and leadership structure The secretary of state is the department's chief executive officer and directs its staff. Next in rank are the Deputy Secretary and the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources. Below them, six Under Secretaries each oversee several bureaus and offices. Most bureaus are headed by an Assistant Secretary of State, and several dozen Deputy Assistant Secretaries form the next tier. The president nominates, and the Senate confirms, every official from the secretary down to the Assistant Secretaries.[^5] ### Staff During the Obama administration, the department's website gave a total of 75,547 employees. It broke that total into 13,855 foreign service officers, 49,734 locally employed staff working mainly overseas, and 10,171 civil service employees working mainly in the United States.[^6] ## Headquarters The department was based in Philadelphia, then the national capital, from 1790 to 1800. In 1800 it moved to Washington, D.C., and it changed buildings several times over the following decades.[^7] It has occupied the Harry S. Truman Building since May 1947. The building was first planned for the Department of Defense and was renamed for President Truman in September 2000. Its most recent renovation was in 2016.[^7] ## Programs ### Fulbright Program Senator J. William Fulbright founded the Fulbright Program in 1946 to fund international educational exchange through competitive, merit-based grants. It awards 8,000 grants each year.[^8] In the 2015–16 cycle, 17% of American applicants won research grants and 24% won English Teaching Assistance grants. Rates differed widely by country: 30% of Americans applying to teach English in Laos were selected, against 6% for Belgium.[^8] ## Global Health Security The department's global health programs are led by the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy. These include the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, through which the bureau aims to ameliorate the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.[^9] ## Military components ### Air Wing In 1978 the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs set up an office that used surplus military and government aircraft to support foreign counter-narcotics operations. A separate Air Wing followed in 1986.[^10] After the September 11 attacks, it added security support for U.S. nationals and interests, mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan. By 2011 it was flying over 230 aircraft, chiefly for counter-narcotics work and for carrying state officials.[^10] ### Naval Support Unit In 1964, after listening devices were discovered in the Embassy of the United States in Moscow, Seabees were assigned to the department. They were sent to search the newly built U.S. embassy in Warsaw for bugs. The Naval Support Unit was formed in 1966 and made permanent two years later.[^10] ## Expenditures For FY 2010, the department and "Other International Programs" such as USAID had a combined projected discretionary budget of $51.7 billion.[^11] Secretary Clinton approved the department's FY 2010 Agency Financial Report on November 15, 2010. It reported actual total costs of $27.4 billion. Revenues of $6.0 billion, including $2.8 billion from consular and management services, brought net cost down to $21.4 billion.[^11] ### Audit of expenditures The federal budget for FY 2010, titled *A New Era of Responsibility*, stated that it "Imposes Transparency on the Budget" for the department.[^11] Kearney & Company, the department's independent auditor, had qualified its FY 2009 opinion over material weaknesses in financial reporting. The department restated its 2009 financial statements in 2010.[^12] For FY 2010 the auditor issued an unqualified opinion. It also reported significant deficiencies in controls over financial reporting and budgetary accounting, and in compliance with several financial management laws.[^12] ## Central Foreign Policy File Since 1973 the department's main record-keeping system has been the Central Foreign Policy File. The file holds telegrams, airgrams, reports, memorandums, correspondence and diplomatic notes.[^13] More than 1,000,000 records from 1973 to 1979 can be viewed online through the [[National Archives and Records Administration]].[^13] ## Freedom of Information Act processing performance The department lists keeping the public informed about U.S. foreign policy among its core activities.[^4] In 2015 the Center for Effective Government analyzed the 15 federal agencies that receive the most Freedom of Information Act requests, using 2012 and 2013 data. The department ranked last, with an "F" grade of 37 out of 100 points, the same score as in 2013. Its processing score was 23 percent.[^14] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — lead section: mission, headquarters, 1789 establishment, secretary of state, Rubio confirmation, 271 posts, INR and DSS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *History* section: 1775 Committee of Secret Correspondence, 1777 renaming, 1781 Department of Foreign Affairs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *History* section: July 21 and July 27, 1789 legislation; September 1789 renaming and domestic duties, signed September 15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Duties and responsibilities* section: lead agency, core activities and purpose, foreign affairs budget share. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Organization* section: leadership tiers, nomination and confirmation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Organization* section, *Staff*: employee figures reported under the Obama administration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Headquarters* section: Philadelphia 1790–1800, 1800 move, Truman Building since May 1947, 2016 renovation, September 2000 renaming. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Programs* section: Fulbright Program founding, annual grants, 2015–16 success rates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Global Health Security* section: Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, PEPFAR. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Military components* section: Air Wing (1978, 1986, 2011) and Naval Support Unit (1964, 1966). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^11]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Expenditures* section: FY 2010 projected budget, *A New Era of Responsibility*, Agency Financial Report figures approved November 15, 2010. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^12]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Audit of expenditures* subsection: Kearney & Company FY 2009 qualified and FY 2010 unqualified opinions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^13]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Central Foreign Policy File* section: system since 1973, over 1,000,000 records via NARA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State [^14]: Wikipedia contributors, *United States Department of State* (revision 1380147274, retrieved 2026-10-26) — *Freedom of Information Act processing performance* section: 2015 Center for Effective Government analysis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State