The American Academy of Diplomacy has just released a report that states staff shortages in the State Department are so severe that it must increase it’s hiring by 46 percent, adding more than 4,700 jobs by 2014. The report, produced by retired ambassadors and other foreign policy experts, commented that “Significant portions of the nations foreign affairs business simply are not accomplished,” and that “The diplomatic capacity of the United States has been hollowed out.” In order to reach the levels of employment that the Academy suggests are needed to meet the workload is an increase in the budget of 21 percent. This is no easy task with our nation’s diplomatic corps already stretched thin because of our ongoing wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Thomas Boyatt, project chairman for the report and former ambassador to Colombia, commented “If one war per generation is avoided because of effective diplomacy, think of the savings it brings to the nation.” Former ambassador Boyatt has a great point– if we have more, better trained diplomats, we could better avoid dangerous tensions with our foreign counterparts and produce peaceful results that would grow out of healthy, diplomatic actions. The U.S. Public Service Academy is ready to train such a corps of diplomats. By establishing a federally-funded public service institution, America would signify it’s renewed mission of public service, graduating nearly 1,300 highly-skilled public servants. Many of these individuals will choose foreign service as their career path and this would contribute to filling the ranks of the State Department. We must not waver in our mission to establish the U.S. Public Service Academy. It is clear our nation needs the best and the brightest yesterday, today and tomorrow.