The U.S. just fired nearly 1,400 diplomats. That should alarm us all | Opinion

On July 11 the U.S. Department of State carried out a reduction-in-force (RIF, or government-speak for a mass firing) of nearly 1,400 public servants. It may sound like just another one of those “Washington D.C. issues” of little relevance to those of us residing in “the other/better Washington,” but its consequences reach far beyond the D.C. Beltway. This decision weakens the nation’s ability to safeguard American interests around the globe.

These were not underperformers. These were trained, experienced professionals — many of whom have spent careers overseas advancing U.S. foreign policy, often at significant personal risk to themselves and their families. The cuts target positions based solely on where staff are stationed domestically on a given day, ignoring any analysis based on performance, need or mission.

Foreign policy is national security. And no foreign policy works without people to implement it. U.S. diplomats help resolve conflicts, manage crises, protect American citizens abroad, including evacuation operations when necessary, and monitor emerging global threats — be they military, environmental or economic. They are often the first to respond when disaster strikes or when peace is at stake.

I know this firsthand. As a career diplomat, I led efforts to defuse tensions in the Balkans and stabilize a volatile region to create conditions to reduce the costly and dangerous deployment of U.S. troops there. Diplomacy works. And it works cheaply: the State Department’s operating budget is less than half a percent of the federal discretionary budget — 80 times smaller than that of the Defense Department.

Beyond security, diplomats also promote American prosperity. Washington state companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks have all relied on U.S. diplomats to advocate for open markets and fair competition abroad. The economic ripple effect is real — jobs and prosperity at home depend on influence abroad.

Some argue the State Department needs reform. I agree. But a serious reform effort would be based on a strategic review of our interests and operations and development of a subsequent and thorough implementation plan, including coordination with key stakeholders. That’s not what happened here. Nearly 1,400 skilled civil and foreign service officers were dismissed not because they failed, but because their desks were in the wrong place. That’s not reform; it’s recklessness.

Gut the U.S. diplomatic corps now, and we will pay later. With fewer experts on the ground, the U.S. will be slower to respond to crises, less informed about fast-moving global events, and weaker in international negotiations. Our adversaries — from China to Russia — will seize the opportunity to fill the void.

This is more than bureaucratic downsizing. It’s a strategic blunder that sends a dangerous signal to the world: that the United States is retreating from its leadership role just when it is needed most. As the American Academy of Diplomacy — a nonpartisan organization of senior former diplomats and foreign affairs leaders — put it: “At a time when the United States faces unprecedented challenges from strategic competitors and adversaries, ongoing conflicts in Central Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and emerging security threats, the decision to gut the Department of State’s institutional knowledge and operational capacity is an act of vandalism.”

We look to Congress to demand accountability, including through oversight hearings. And we must all urge the White House and the State Department leadership to reverse course — immediately. America needs its diplomats. Our national security, our economy and our global leadership depend on them.

Ambassador Jeff Hovenier, a Bellingham native, recently retired from the U.S. State Department after 34 years representing the United States in Europe and Latin America. His last assignments were ambassador to Kosovo and Chargé d’Affaires/Deputy Chief of Mission in Türkiye. In the 1970s he operated a delivery route for The Bellingham Herald in the Lettered Streets neighborhood.