Deputy Secretary Landau urges cooler heads, vows USAID memorial placement at State ceremony
May 03, 2025 | US Department of State
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Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau urged collegiality between political leaders and career diplomats and pledged to place the USAID memorial wall in a place of honor during remarks at the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Day ceremony.
Landau said the Foreign Service should debate changes respectfully and noted that the department is part of the executive branch. “I am your friend,” he told the assembled audience, adding, “I hope we can tone down and cool some of the tempers.”
Landau framed the remarks around institutional effectiveness, asking “what is the role of an embassy in the 21st century?” and saying modern technology and faster information flows require rethinking how posts report and contribute to policy. He urged the service and political leadership to work together to make reporting useful and to ensure that officers’ views reach decision makers.
He recalled growing up in the Foreign Service and described the ceremony’s memorial plaques as a personal touchstone, saying remembering fallen colleagues is a duty: “These are the men and women who have really paid the ultimate sacrifice.” Landau also singled out locally employed staff and contractors as central to embassy operations.
On the subject of USAID, Landau said the agency’s work should align with diplomatic objectives. He announced that three USAID colleagues who died while serving overseas will be added to the USAID memorial wall and pledged action to display the wall prominently at State: “I will make sure with every breath in my body that this plaque gets put in a place of honor and distinction in this State Department building.”
The deputy secretary closed by urging continued conversation between the civil service and political leadership, saying the department should preserve professionalism while seeking reforms that make the Foreign Service more effective.
The keynote was part of a larger Foreign Affairs Day program that included awards presentations and a wreath-laying at the memorial plaques attended by AFSA leadership and retirees. The wreath-laying was streamed live during the ceremony.
Landau said the Foreign Service should debate changes respectfully and noted that the department is part of the executive branch. “I am your friend,” he told the assembled audience, adding, “I hope we can tone down and cool some of the tempers.”
Landau framed the remarks around institutional effectiveness, asking “what is the role of an embassy in the 21st century?” and saying modern technology and faster information flows require rethinking how posts report and contribute to policy. He urged the service and political leadership to work together to make reporting useful and to ensure that officers’ views reach decision makers.
He recalled growing up in the Foreign Service and described the ceremony’s memorial plaques as a personal touchstone, saying remembering fallen colleagues is a duty: “These are the men and women who have really paid the ultimate sacrifice.” Landau also singled out locally employed staff and contractors as central to embassy operations.
On the subject of USAID, Landau said the agency’s work should align with diplomatic objectives. He announced that three USAID colleagues who died while serving overseas will be added to the USAID memorial wall and pledged action to display the wall prominently at State: “I will make sure with every breath in my body that this plaque gets put in a place of honor and distinction in this State Department building.”
The deputy secretary closed by urging continued conversation between the civil service and political leadership, saying the department should preserve professionalism while seeking reforms that make the Foreign Service more effective.
The keynote was part of a larger Foreign Affairs Day program that included awards presentations and a wreath-laying at the memorial plaques attended by AFSA leadership and retirees. The wreath-laying was streamed live during the ceremony.
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