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Assistant Secretary Frank Taylor’s Message To The Men And Women of The Bureau Of Diplomatic Security
18 November 2002
I am very proud to have been recommended By Secretary Powell, nominated by President Bush and recently confirmed by the Senate as the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions. As many of you know, for the past fourteen months I have had the great privilege of serving the Nation as the Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism. From this unique position, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the DS family. As a military officer for more than 30 years, I also have worked closely with elements of DS around the world. I have personally witnessed the tremendous increase in the demand for our services. Both the volume and complexity of requests made by colleagues in the department, the law enforcement and intelligence community, U.S. business community and foreign governments reflect the changing world and our reputation for excellence. Throughout this growth, sometimes at breakneck speed and with little in the way of a playbook, YOU HAVE performed with great distinction. Only an exceptional organization with superb people clearly focused on their demanding mission could have produced such results during such an extraordinary period for our Nation and our Department.
Two months ago I listened to Secretary Powell as he spoke To the DS hosted Women In Law Enforcement reception here at the Department. The Secretary captured the essence of our accomplishments when he said, “what does impress me on a daily basis, however, is the high professionalism and effectiveness of our diplomatic security agents, female and male. On any given day, the women and men of Diplomatic Security are serving in our embassies and consulates overseas, keeping our diplomats and their families safe. They are providing security advice to traveling Americans and American businesses overseas. They are serving on joint terrorism task forces throughout the United States. They are conducting investigations to bring criminals and fugitives to justice and keep those who would do ill from getting into our country on false U.S. passports and visas. They are training first responders to deal with potential chemical or biological attacks; and they are training foreign security officials to combat terrorists in their own backyards.”
These remarks and those that I have received from numerous senior officials both within and outside the Department are strong testimony to the high regard in which you and your work are held. As I accept this role and its responsibilities, I want to assure you that my priorities will revolve around continuing to shape the Bureau, its people and resources to meet the evolving 21st Century threat environment in which we must be prepared to perform. . In this regard, I believe that we need to ensure that our mission priorities are well understood and continue to be executed in a professional and effective way. There is more to do than there are people and resources available, and therefore, setting clear priorities will ensure that the most important task gets done first. Performance measurement will be a key to assessing our effectiveness in mission accomplishment and resource allocation. I will endeavor to establish such a performance regimen in the very near future.
In order to perform the mission with a high level of efficiency, we need a diverse group of highly motivated, well-trained and superbly led people. My second priority will be the development of the future leadership of the Bureau. Our future leaders must be experts in their specific mission area and also skilled leaders and effective managers. They need to know how to manage people and resource effectively as well as to how to integrate the DS mission capability into the Department’s fundamental diplomatic mission in a seamless way. Security is very important, not as an end unto itself but as an enabler of our larger diplomatic mission.
My third priority is to ensure that we have the resources that we need to meet and defeat the current and future threats that we will face. Effective resource management will ensure that we use what we have most effectively and that we understand our future requirements and are postured to justify and receive funding for these requirements. Sustainment of recent security enhancements will ensure our 21st century preparation.
The men and women of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security comprise the Nation’s most unique investigative, security, law enforcement and foreign mission oversight organization functioning on a worldwide platform to protect our front-line and CONUS diplomatic capability. My vision is to use my tenure as your leader to continue to build on the solid foundation of my predecessors and sustain an organization capable of winning today and evolving to win tomorrow and the day after.
I am thrilled with the exciting opportunities that lie before us. The current threat environment is the most complex and demanding that I have seen in my lifetime - international terrorists, spies, and rogue states with weapons of mass destruction capability - all serve to test our mettle and creativity. I am convinced that we have what it takes to prevail. I look forward to meeting with you in the coming months and to working with you on the challenges that I have outlined. To the extent my schedule permits, I intend to travel, giving those personnel in the field, both domestically and abroad, an opportunity to share their insight and concerns. You will have a huge say in where we go in the future.
I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to serve with you at this critical time in our Nation’s history. May each of you remain safe as we move to accomplish the tasks before us. Ambassador Frank Taylor sends.