WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of State has announced that it is modernizing the U.S. Foreign Service selection and preparation processes to ensure that the United States is equipped with the essential diplomatic corps it needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
These modernization efforts include re instituting a written examination test, testing applicants on American history, and reforming the Foreign Service orientation to include content on diplomatic theory, economic statecraft, and strategic competition. The State Department invited all Americans with the skill and spirit to represent their nation around the world to apply to join the U.S. Foreign Service.
The State Department has made a series of reforms designed to modernize all aspects of foreign service recruitment and training.
The Department said in a press release that it is reducing barriers to leadership and management roles by emphasizing merit in the selection process so that officers who excel can have opportunities for leadership across the Department earlier in their careers. This will ensure that promising officers stay in government service and can work in rewarding, high-impact roles.
The State Department overhauled the Foreign Service Officer Test, adding questions on American history and logical reasoning while eliminating those intended to test alignment with the diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda.
The State Department redesigned the Foreign Service Oral Exam to refocus on testing substantive knowledge of U.S. foreign policy concepts, diplomatic history, and negotiation skills.
A-100, the Foreign Service onboarding program, has been transformed into a rigorous and comprehensive basic training program to best prepare the commissioned officers of the United States diplomatic corps. Foreign Service Officers will now receive substantive content on policy and tradecraft, which includes lectures on diplomatic history and America First foreign policy.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
