By Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration has appointed a nationwide safety lawyer who entered the overseas service simply 4 years in the past as the highest official overseeing the State Division’s world workforce, in keeping with three sources conversant in the matter and an inner e mail seen by Reuters.
The hiring of Lew Olowski to run the division’s World Expertise Administration Bureau comes as President Donald Trump shrinks the federal workforce and appears to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to make sure a devoted implementation of his “America First” insurance policies.
Olowski served as a senior counselor on the Division of Homeland Safety below the primary Trump administration. He was named the Senior Bureau Official on the Division’s World Expertise Administration Bureau, officers stated.
Olowski, who entered the overseas service in 2021, will briefly fill a place historically occupied by veteran overseas service officers, together with ambassadors, usually with a long time of expertise.
The transfer comes as Trump is seeking to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to make sure a devoted implementation of his “America First” insurance policies.
His appointment despatched shockwaves throughout the State Division workforce and drew an objection from the American International Service Affiliation, which represents overseas service officers, saying it was “deeply regarding” to nominate Olowski and in contrast the transfer to placing a junior navy officer in command of the Pentagon’s personnel system.
“Inserting an untenured, entry-level officer who has solely served one full abroad tour into this important position, even in an appearing capability, not solely disregards that custom but additionally sends a transparent message in regards to the worth this administration locations on expertise {and professional} development,” the Affiliation stated in an announcement.
It was not instantly clear when the administration was planning to appoint a Director Normal for the International Service, which is a Senate-confirmed place.
“MOMENT OF TRANSITION”
In an inner e mail to some State Division employees, Olowski’s predecessor Catherine Rodriguez, a former ambassador who had led the World Expertise Administration Bureau for the reason that begin of the Trump administration, described the previous few months as a “profound second of transition” and urged employees to welcome Olowski, who will take up his new position beginning subsequent week.
Not less than one diplomat has threatened to resign over the appointment.
Kent Longsdon, a profession diplomat and a former ambassador to Moldova who served because the principal deputy assistant secretary within the bureau that Olowski can be main, stated he would stop in protest in a gathering on Thursday on the State Division, two U.S. officers conversant in the dialog stated.
Longsdon referred any queries to the State Division.
“We aren’t going to touch upon inner personnel issues,” a State Division spokesperson stated when requested about Olowski’s appointment.
The State Division’s almost 70,000 world workforce is bracing for potential job cuts and closures of U.S. abroad missions as Trump, with the assistance of billionaire Elon Musk, presses forward with an effort to chop the federal workforce.
Olowski is a Ben Franklin fellow, a community that features many people who’ve served below Trump together with the present Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
In February, Trump issued an govt order directing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revamp the overseas service to make sure “trustworthy and efficient implementation” of Trump’s overseas coverage agenda.
The order stated failure to implement the president’s agenda is grounds for skilled self-discipline, which can outcome within the termination of personnel.
Throughout his marketing campaign, he had repeatedly pledged to “clear out the deep state” by firing bureaucrats that he deems disloyal.
Trump, together with Musk, has already fired hundreds of federal employees and dismantled Washington’s high assist company U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement, jeopardizing the supply of life-saving meals and medical assist and disrupting world humanitarian reduction efforts.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Enhancing by Don Durfee and Diane Craft)
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