Junior officer appointed to oversee US foreign service

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has appointed a national security lawyer who entered the foreign service just four years ago as the top official overseeing the State Department’s global workforce, according to three sources familiar with the matter and an internal email seen by Reuters.

The hiring of Lew Olowski to run the department’s Global Talent Management Bureau comes as President Donald Trump shrinks the federal workforce and looks to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his “America First” policies.

Olowski served as a senior counselor at the Department of Homeland Security under the first Trump administration. He was named the Senior Bureau Official at the Department’s Global Talent Management Bureau, officials said.

Olowski, who entered the foreign service in 2021, will temporarily fill a position traditionally occupied by veteran foreign service officers, including ambassadors, typically with decades of experience.

The move comes as Trump is looking to revamp the U.S. diplomatic corps to ensure a dedicated implementation of his “America First” policies.

His appointment sent shockwaves across the State Department workforce and drew an objection from the American Foreign Service Association, which represents foreign service officers, saying it was “deeply concerning” to appoint Olowski and compared the move to putting a junior military officer in charge of the Pentagon’s personnel system.

“Placing an untenured, entry-level officer who has only served one complete overseas tour into this critical role, even in an acting capacity, not only disregards that tradition but also sends a clear message about the value this administration places on experience and professional progression,” the Association said in a statement.