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Deputy Secretary Landau calls for cooperation as he outlines management, USAID alignment and modernization questions
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Summary
Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau used the State Department—oreign Affairs Day keynote to appeal for mutual respect with career foreign service staff, raise questions about organizational ossification and endorse closer alignment of USAID within State.
Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau urged greater cooperation between political leadership and career foreign service personnel, and said the department must ask "serious questions" about how embassies and the service operate in the 21st century.
In a keynote address at the 60th annual Foreign Affairs Day at the Harry S. Truman Building, Deputy Secretary Landau said he came "home" to the State Department and said he wanted to "extend a respectful hand" to career officers amid tensions over internal reforms. "I am your friend," Landau said, adding that he hoped to "tone down and cool some of the tempers."
Landau placed part of the conversation about change in an organizational context, saying the department had become "ossified" and "sclerotic" and that the proliferation of boxes on the organization chart complicated clearances and coordination. "I think there are ways to streamline and improve this so that it works better and is more effective," he said.
Why it matters: Landau is the department—s second-ranking political official and his remarks signal the administration—s interest in rethinking how diplomatic reporting and mission roles adapt to new technologies and to Washington—s faster information flows. He framed reorganization as a potential way to ensure field reporting leads to policy influence and recognition for officers— contributions.
Landau singled out development work and USAID in his remarks. He said USAID—s origins were tied to national security goals in the 1960s and argued for closer coordination between development programs and foreign policy. "The idea is that USAID is within the State Department," he said. "So the point is USAID, anything we're doing for promoting using our soft power around the world ... should be coordinated with foreign policy."
He acknowledged the emotional context around reforms, saying professional staff and political appointees sometimes hold sharply different views and that disagreements "are fine" so long as they are expressed respectfully. Landau urged that, unless an action is unlawful, the political leadership—s orientation will guide policy: "The president was duly elected by the American people." He also said he sought humility about the limits of his own experience and invited career officers to offer perspectives on reforms.
Landau also paid tribute to the department—s memorial plaques and to USAID colleagues, announcing that three USAID employees would be added soon to the USAID memorial wall and promising to ensure the wall is placed "in a place of honor" inside the building.
Discussion versus decisions: Landau framed his remarks as policy and management perspectives and invitations to dialogue rather than the announcement of specific regulatory or statutory changes. He expressed support for closer coordination of USAID with State and for organizational streamlining; he did not announce a formal reorganization plan or a schedule for changes.
Quotations in context: "I am your friend," Landau said, describing his desire to rebuild respectful working relations. On USAID, he said, "I don't think should be all that controversial" to align its activities with State—s foreign policy objectives.
Ending note: Landau joined AFSA President Tom Yosgaredi at the memorial for a wreath-laying after his remarks. The ceremony included a pledge to place the USAID memorial wall in a prominent location and to add the three named USAID colleagues to that wall in the near future.
