Foreign Missions

The embassy abroad, or foreign mission, is headed by an ambassador assisted by a career diplomat who serves as deputy or first secretary. The deputy secretary oversees and coordinates the work of the staff and assumes the responsibilities of the mission whenever the ambassador is away or incapacitated. Staffed largely by foreign service officers, most missions contain sections for political affairs, economic affairs, information and cultural affairs, consular affairs, and administrative matters. A mission also usually includes a number of attachйs from other government departments. The varied activities of a diplomatic mission range from negotiation and reporting on events to meeting with foreign students and issuing visas. Most nations staff their foreign services with career civil servants who are selected on the basis of competitive examinations. About 10,000 people are in the U.S. Foreign Service. While many nations appoint distinguished citizens who are not career officers to serve as ambassadors, most ambassadors are career diplomats.