Amid low morale, highest-ranked career official at State to step down

Source: Politico | February 1, 2018 | Nahal Toosi

The highest-ranked career official at the State Department is retiring, a decision that comes as the Trump administration faces a series of global challenges and amid unusually low morale among U.S. diplomats.

Tom Shannon, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, told the department in an email Thursday that his decision “is personal, and driven by a desire to attend to my family, take stock of my life, and set a new direction for my remaining years.”

Shannon has spent nearly 35 years in the Foreign Service, much of it in top positions dealing with Latin America. He has been a key source of advice to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who came in with no formal diplomatic experience.

Shannon’s presence has offered some reassurance to U.S. diplomats startled by the ups and downs of the Trump administration, particularly President Donald Trump’s unpredictable approach to foreign policy. As crises have loomed in places such as North Korea and throughout the Middle East, career officials such as Shannon have offered counsel on how to navigate difficult diplomatic waters.

Shannon’s retirement was first reported by The Associated Press, which also wrote that Tillerson had asked Shannon to stay on. “There will always be a place for Tom Shannon at the State Department,” Tillerson told the AP, adding he would miss Shannon’s “encyclopedic” knowledge of the State Department and U.S. diplomatic history. “He is the senior statesman.”

Shannon told the AP that other factors that contributed to his decision included the recent death of his mother and the fact that he turned 60 years old.

But Shannon has agreed to stay in his position until a successor is named and to ensure a smooth transition for his replacement. It’s not clear when exactly that will be, given the Trump administration’s slowness in appointing people to leadership positions at State. The undersecretary job also requires Senate confirmation.

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