U.S. Department of State Fiscal Year 2020 Agency Financial Report

direction of the Under Secretary for Management, MED is working with other bureaus to make the necessary updates to the Foreign Affairs Manual. MED is also implementing new internal controls, including a reimbursement system using a local E-2 component to route requests directly back to the child and family program where the people who write the cables detailing the allowable expenses are the first examiners of the reimbursement requests. Expenses are then authorized for payment, denied, or questioned for further detail. Like all of the other internal controls associated with SNEA (and all of MED's financial and risk management), these processes will be integrated into the annual Statement of Assurance produced under the internal control program administered under the authority of the Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act. 5 O perating in C ontingency and C ritical E nvironments In some cases, the Department must operate in “critical” environments, or areas that experience various challenges in the form of conflict, instability, disease, or natural disasters. These pose their own set of problems and contribute to existing challenges. The OIG wrote that “staff reductions in Afghanistan and Iraq have contributed to expedited staffing reviews, while OIG also identified the lack of a centralized database for the special immigrant visa program in Afghanistan. This contributed to delays and increases the Department’s risk for fraud and threats to national security.” The Department notes the Secretary had determined that the security situations in Iraq and Afghanistan necessitated we reduce the size of these posts as expeditiously as possible. Missions and involved bureaus worked expeditiously to determine how best to implement the Secretary’s directives to reduce staff, while still maintaining enough personnel to meet the highest strategic priorities in both Afghanistan and Iraq. 6 W orkforce M anagement The Secretary’s Professional Ethos provides a common foundation for the Department’s broad mission, one that cannot be accomplished without its workforce. Similarly, despite employing different categories of staff – Foreign Service (FS), Civil Service (CS), locally employed staff, contractors, and political appointees – the Secretary has emphasized the need for One Team, One Mission Ethos to achieve success. The High Five Talent priority elucidates how the Department is striving to be the employer of choice and care for its people. To combat workforce management challenges, some of which the OIG describes in its report, the Under Secretary for Management is focusing on: ■ Accelerating onboarding and hiring to fill critical Civil Service vacancies; ■ Leadership development and succession planning; ■ Improving employee engagement and workforce flexibilities; ■ Enhancing the resiliency and well-being of employees; and ■ Promoting an inclusive and diverse workforce. The Bureau of Global Talent Management (GTM) quickly adapted to new needs in light of COVID-19 and took significant strides to improve customer service. GTM made additional human resources applications available remotely and released other innovations such as Virtual Performance Boards, virtual oaths/onboarding for Foreign Service and Civil Service, and ongoing virtual Foreign Service Oral Assessments. 2020 A gency F inanci al R eport U ni ted S tates D epartment of S tate | 135 MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSE TO INSPECTOR GENERAL | OTHER INFORMATION