Overseas Staffing

U.S. Government Diplomatic Presence Abroad Gao ID: T-NSIAD-95-136 April 6, 1995

In 1994, the State Department, the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), and about 35 other agencies employed nearly 38,000 personnel at 260 diplomatic posts around the work. About half of these personnel are Americans. It is expensive to maintain U.S. government workers abroad. According to agency estimates, it costs roughly two to three times more to assign staff overseas than in Washington. GAO concludes that significant savings would result if overseas staffing were reduced. State, USIA, and other agencies need to consider the extent to which their diplomatic presence is essential and affordable given world changes and efforts to reduce the cost of government. By developing more systematic staffing allocation systems that use complete cost data, agencies will be in a better position to determine needed staffing levels and make appropriate reductions. GAO also found that mechanisms to review and monitor aggregate staffing levels are fragmented and weak.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.