Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is moving forward with the elimination of his department’s office in charge of promoting U.S. cyber diplomacy abroad, according to a letter sent Monday to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
In the letter, Tillerson detailed a reorganization plan which includes dissolving the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues and transferring its remaining 23 staff members and nearly $5.5 million in support costs to the the Bureau of Economic & Business Affairs.
Tillerson first announced plans to shutter the office in charge of promoting U.S. cyber security interests in July, and later that month the department’s lead cyber diplomat, Chris Painter, resigned from his post.
On Aug. 23, several House democrats filed a spending bill amendment meant to block Tillerson from using allocated funds for the purpose of closing his department’s cyber office or merging it with any other entity (Defense Daily, Aug. 24)
The reorganization detailed in the letter would remove 30 special envoy posts for positions dedicated to overseeing the crisis in Syria and promoting climate change engagement. Other positions, such as the office in charge of promoting human rights, will be “dual-hatted” and full responsibility will be shifted to the coordinator of another previously held position.
“I believe that the Department will be able to better execute its mission by integrating certain envoys and special representative offices within the regional and functional bureaus, and eliminating those that have accomplished or outlived their original purpose,” Tillerson wrote in his letter.
Corker’s Foreign Relations Committee passed legislation in July that requires the State Department to notify Congress of all potential changes to special envoys and requires Senate approval for all special envoy nominations moving forward.