United States General Accounting Office

GAO Report to the Chairman, Legislation and

National Security Subcommittee,

Committee on Government Operations,

House of Representatives

December 1994 OVERSEAS

PRESENCE

Staffing at U.S.

Diplomatic Posts

GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS

GAO United States

General Accounting Office

Washington, D.C. 20548

National Security and

International Affairs Division

B-259202 

December 28, 1994

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.

Chairman, Legislation and National

 Security Subcommittee

Committee on Government Operations

House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman:

In response to your request, we are presenting information on the size,

location, and costs of the diplomatic presence maintained by the State

Department and over 35 other U.S. government agencies at 260 posts in

about 170 countries around the world. We reported earlier on State’s

process for deciding how many of its staff to assign to each post.1

 We will

report separately on the overall management issues associated with

overseas staffing.

Results in Brief Staffing data maintained by the State Department show the following:

• The U.S. government employs approximately 37,800 personnel overseas,

including about 18,900 U.S. direct-hire and 18,870 foreign national

direct-hire personnel,2

 at its embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic

offices located in almost every country in the world. This total does not

include large numbers of personnel who are paid directly or indirectly by

the U.S. government and involved in U.S. government activities overseas.

For example, it does not include military personnel under the command of

a U.S. area military commander. In addition, State and many other

agencies contract with U.S. and foreign national personnel for a variety of

services. State and other agencies do not have accurate data on the

number of contract hires. However, in a report issued by a State

management task force, it was estimated that in 1992, U.S. agencies

employed 2,415 U.S. personal services contractors and 38,465 foreign

national contractors overseas.3

• The size of the U.S. presence in countries varies greatly. For example,

there is 1 American foreign service officer at the U.S. liaison office in the

1

State Department: Overseas Staffing Process Not Linked to Policy Priorities (GAO/NSIAD-94-228,

Sept. 20, 1994).

2

These types of positions and other key terms are defined in the glossary.

3

U.S. Department of State, State 2000: A New Model for Managing Foreign Affairs, Report of the U.S.

Department of State Management Task Force (Dec. 1992).

Page 1 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
B-259202 

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, about 100 U.S. direct hires

assigned to 1 post in the Dominican Republic, nearly 500 assigned to 

3 posts in Thailand, and over 1,000 assigned to 7 posts in Germany. About

one-third of the posts and personnel are in Europe.

• The median staffing level for a country is about 100 personnel—50 U.S.

direct hires and 50 foreign service national employees. That is, half of the

countries with a U.S. presence are staffed with 100 or more employees,

and the remaining half have fewer than 100 employees.

• There are multiple posts in 35 countries—15 countries in Europe, 8 in East

Asia and the Pacific, 5 in North and South America, 3 in the Near East, 2 in

Africa, and 2 in South Asia. For example, a total of nine posts are in

Mexico—eight consulates or consulates general in addition to the embassy

in Mexico City.

• Overall, U.S. direct-hire staffing levels have increased by 19 percent over

the past 10 years, although the pace of growth has generally slowed in the

1990s. (Direct-hire foreign national staffing levels have remained

constant.) State officials indicated that the data probably understated the

number of Defense personnel assigned to diplomatic posts in the

mid-1980s. Because of uncertainties over the data on Defense personnel,

State indicated that using this data to depict the overall staffing trend may

not accurately portray the growth rate. Excluding Defense personnel, U.S.

direct-hire levels have grown by about 6 percent since 1984. Most of this

growth has been in nonforeign affairs agencies, which include the

Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Transportation. Nonforeign affairs

agencies, excluding the Department of Defense, increased from about

1,600 U.S. direct-hire employees in 1984 to 2,300 in 1994. The staffing

growth experienced by these agencies reflects the increasingly global

character of their missions.

• State’s U.S. direct-hire staffing levels have increased slightly but not as

much as some other agencies it supports overseas. In 1994, State

represented 38 percent of U.S. direct-hire staffing overseas.

Cost information we obtained showed the following:

• In fiscal year 1993, the 10 agencies we surveyed spent approximately

$1.3 billion for salaries, benefits, and allowances for staff. They spent

nearly an additional $1.3 billion in associated overseas operating costs.

• The costs of stationing U.S. government personnel overseas are high.

Some agencies estimate that it costs roughly two to three times more to

keep a person abroad than in Washington. For example, a recent analysis

conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development estimated

the average cost per agency U.S. direct-hire employee overseas at

Page 2 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
B-259202 

approximately $352,000—or about three times the $109,000 average cost

for a Washington-based employee. These figures are based on allocating

the agency’s total operating expenses (including the costs of foreign

service nationals and personal services contractors) to U.S. direct hires

only.

Much of the difference is due to compensatory and incentive allowances

and benefits, such as the costs for post travel, educational allowance,

hardship pay, cost-of-living adjustment, language incentive, rest and

recuperation travel, rent, and other expenses. For internal budgeting

purposes, the State Department has estimated the cost of allowances and

benefits for a new American position overseas at roughly $93,000 in the

first year. Adding an average of $60,000 for salary and $75,000 for other

operating expenses such as household and office furnishings and security,

State has used $228,000 as the estimated cost in the first year to add a new

American position overseas.

Appendix I provides information on the number and location of the U.S.

government’s overseas personnel, as well as trends over the last 10 years.

Appendix II provides data on costs associated with the U.S. overseas

presence.

Scope and

Methodology

To obtain staffing information, we interviewed officials and reviewed data

from the Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy.

This Bureau is responsible for providing guidance on issues dealing with

the authority of the Chiefs of Mission over policy implementation, the

number of personnel assigned to their posts, and the activities of all U.S.

government agencies, except for those under a U.S. area military

commander. According to these officials, State’s databases are the only

centralized source of current and historical U.S. government overseas

staffing data.

We have conducted a review of overseas diplomatic staffing, including

State’s staffing of its posts abroad and the overall management

weaknesses associated with overseas staffing. As part of our review, we

conducted work at selected diplomatic posts.4

 We compared staffing data

developed by the post and by agencies’ headquarters as a basis for

validating the data from State’s databases.

4

We conducted work at diplomatic posts in Benin, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, Guyana,

France, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Tunisia.

Page 3 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
B-259202 

To obtain cost information, we interviewed budget officials and compiled

data from headquarters organizations in Washington, D.C., including the

Department of State, Defense Security Assistance Agency, Defense

Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of

Investigation, Foreign Agricultural Service, Immigration and

Naturalization Service, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S.

and Foreign Commercial Service, and U.S. Information Agency. We did not

verify the cost data that officials provided from their records and data

systems.

We conducted our work between April and September 1994 in accordance

with generally accepted government auditing standards.

As you requested, we did not obtain written agency comments on this fact

sheet. However, we shared a draft of this fact sheet with officials from

State’s Bureau of Finance and Management Policy, our primary source of

information. We also shared a draft of this fact sheet with headquarters

officials from each organization we reviewed. We considered the

comments we received from these officials and, where appropriate,

incorporated their comments in preparing our final report. Where there

were significant differences between the staffing data reported by an

agency and State (i.e., U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S.

Information Agency), we did not attempt to reconcile the variances.

However, we have annotated the pertinent tables and charts to alert the

reader to the differences. We also annotated the tables and charts, where

appropriate, to reflect adjustments we have made to address the

limitations of the data, particularly for the Department of Defense.

As agreed with your office, unless you publicly announce this fact sheet’s

contents earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days from its issue

date. At that time, we will send copies to appropriate congressional

committees; the Secretary of State; the Director, Office of Management

and Budget; and other interested parties. We will also make copies

available to others upon request.

Page 4 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
B-259202 

Please contact me at (202) 512-4128 if you or your staff have any questions

concerning this fact sheet. Major contributors to this fact sheet are listed

in appendix III.

Sincerely yours,

Joseph E. Kelley

Director-in-Charge

International Affairs Issues

Page 5 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Contents

Letter 1

Appendix I 

Staffing Data

10

Limitations on Data 10

Trend Shows Gradual Upward Climb in Overseas Staffing Levels 12

State’s Percentage of Overall Presence Is Shrinking 16

Staffing Levels Increased in Nonforeign Affairs Agencies 18

Staffing Changes in the Regions Varied 32

Staffing Levels Vary Widely 33

Number and Types of Posts 41

U.S. Presence Overseas Expands 47

Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

50

Limitations on Data 50

An American Employee Overseas Costs Much More Than a

Washington-Based Employee

50

Cost of Overseas Operations 52

Department of State 54

Defense Intelligence Agency 55

Defense Security Assistance Agency 58

Drug Enforcement Administration 59

Federal Bureau of Investigation 60

FAS 61

Immigration and Naturalization Service 62

USAID 63

US&FCS 65

USIA 66

Appendix III 

Major Contributors to

This Fact Sheet

68

Glossary 69

Tables Table I.1: U.S. Direct Hires Overseas by Agency 14

Table I.2: U.S. Direct-Hire Position Levels by Country and Agency 22

Table I.3: List of Countries in Rank Order Based on the Level of

Staffing

36

Page 6 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Contents

Table I.4: Post Closings and Openings 47

Table II.1: Cost Per American Employee of the State Department

in Selected Countries

52

Table II.2: Personnel Costs of the Overseas Presence of Selected

Agencies

53

Table II.3: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for Department of

State

55

Table II.4: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for DIA 57

Table II.5: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for Defense

Security Assistance Agency

59

Table II.6: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for Drug

Enforcement Administration

60

Table II.7: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for Federal Bureau

of Investigation

61

Table II.8: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for FAS 62

Table II.9: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for Immigration

and Naturalization Service

63

Table II.10: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for USAID 64

Table II.11: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for US&FCS 66

Table II.12: Overseas Costs in Fiscal Year 1993 for USIA 67

Figures Figure I.1: Ten-Year Trend in U.S. Staffing Overseas 13

Figure I.2: Distribution of U.S. Direct Hires by Agency 17

Figure I.3: State, Other Foreign Affairs Agencies, and Nonforeign

Affairs Agencies as a Percentage of All U.S. Direct Hires for U.S.

Agencies Overseas

18

Figure I.4: Trend in U.S. Direct-Hire Staffing Levels 19

Figure I.5: Change in U.S. Direct-Hire Staffing Levels 20

Figure I.6: Change in U.S. Direct-Hire Staffing Levels by Region

Between 1993 and 1994

33

Figure I.7: The Top 25 Countries With the Largest Staffing 35

Figure I.8: Distribution of U.S. Diplomatic Posts by Region 42

Figure I.9: Distribution of U.S. Direct Hires by Region 43

Figure I.10: Number of U.S. Diplomatic Posts by Region and Type

of Post

44

Figure I.11: Countries With Multiple Posts 46

Page 7 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Contents

Abbreviations

DIA Defense Intelligence Agency

DOD Department of Defense

FAS Foreign Agricultural Service

USAID U.S. Agency for International Development

US&FCS U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service

USIA U.S. Information Agency

Page 8 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Page 9 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Limitations on Data For this report, we used staffing data from the databases maintained by

the Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy,

which is the only centralized source of current and historical overseas

staffing data. However, State’s data do not fully capture the total

workforce of the U.S. government overseas. The staffing data provided in

this report are authorized full-time U.S. direct-hire and foreign national

positions that are under the authority of the Chief of Mission, usually the

U.S. ambassador to a country. However, the staffing data do not include

large numbers of personnel who are paid directly or indirectly by the U.S.

government and involved in U.S. government activities overseas. For

example, State and many other agencies hire U.S. and foreign national

personnel through contracts for a variety of services. State and other

agencies do not have accurate data on the number of contract hires.

However, in a report issued by a State management task force, it was

estimated that in 1992, there were 2,415 U.S. personal services contractors

and 38,465 foreign national contractors overseas. These contractors

exceed the total number of U.S. direct hires and foreign service national

employees covered in this fact sheet.

In addition to American and locally hired personal services contractors,

the following U.S. government employees overseas are not included in this

report:

• U.S. military and civilian personnel and their civilian dependents under the

command of a U.S. area military commander;1

• nonexecutive branch government employees such as employees of GAO

and the Library of Congress;

• part-time intermittent, temporary employees; and

• U.S. government employees assigned overseas on temporary duty for up to

a year.

Because there is no central source of information on overseas staffing

levels, State obtains data for a given agency from a variety of sources, such

as agency staffing patterns and cables from posts. Using these sources,

State analysts then construct post staffing profiles for each agency.

However, State does not have a validation process that enables each

agency to routinely verify the data for accuracy. We validated the State

Department’s staffing data for selected posts and found some

discrepancies between the data maintained by headquarters and the posts.

1

As of March 31, 1994, there were approximately 290,663 uniformed military personnel, 223,678

command-sponsored military dependents, 16,579 DOD civilian personnel, and 17,471 civilian

dependents assigned overseas. By law, these individuals are not under the authority of the Chief of

Mission.

Page 10 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

In addition, because State used three different databases to provide the

staffing data, there were some inconsistencies in worldwide totals.

However, these differences were not significant.

Although they acknowledge the inadequacies of the overseas staffing data,

State officials maintain that the data are useful in reviewing overall

staffing trends. The staffing data presented in this report are also useful as

a point of reference. However, specific staffing levels should be verified

with agency and post officials when precise information is essential, such

as when the information is used to make critical management decisions.

Particular caution should be exercised in analyzing Department of Defense

(DOD) data. According to State officials, over the years, State diligently

tried to improve the accuracy of its database on DOD employees to record

the number of U.S. direct hires under Chief of Mission authority as

opposed to those under a U.S. area military command. They told us that

data reported for the early years of our review (mid-1980s) did not

accurately capture all DOD personnel that came under Chief of Mission

authority—a condition that State officials assert was corrected in the last

several years. State’s data probably understated the number of personnel

DOD had assigned overseas. Thus, it is difficult to determine how much of

the increases reported for DOD on a year-to-year basis reflect a real growth

in staffing levels and how much are the result of accounting for positions

that had not been previously reported. For this reason, when reviewing

DOD’s staffing trends, we focused on those DOD agencies whose historical

numbers were judged by State and DOD to be reasonably reliable. These are

the Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Security Assistance Agency,

Marine Corps security guards, and Naval Support Unit (Seabees). Where

applicable, tables and charts showing DOD data are footnoted to indicate

whether the data reflect DOD-wide or selected Defense agencies’ numbers.

For purposes of this report, foreign affairs agencies are those utilizing the

foreign service personnel system and include the Department of State, U.S.

Information Agency (USIA), U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID), Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and U.S. and Foreign

Commercial Service (US&FCS). We have also included the Peace Corps in

this category. Nonforeign affairs agencies include DOD, the Departments of

Justice, Transportation, Treasury, and subordinate agencies within these

departments; the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce (excluding

FAS and US&FCS, respectively); and other federal agencies.

Page 11 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Trend Shows Gradual

Upward Climb in

Overseas Staffing

Levels

The U.S. government employs a total of about 37,800 personnel

overseas—split evenly between U.S. direct-hire employees and foreign

service national employees.

Because of uncertainties regarding the accuracy of the data on DOD

personnel assigned to diplomatic posts in the mid-1980s, it is difficult to

determine the real growth in staffing levels. However, based on the

information provided to us, we found that the growth in staffing has been

among the U.S. direct hires, not the locally hired workforce. The number

of U.S. direct hires increased in relatively small but steady increments of

about 2 percent each year—from about 15,900 in 1984 to 18,940 in 1994, for

an overall increase of 19 percent. Excluding DOD due to data accuracy

concerns, U.S. direct-hire levels went from about 11,540 in 1984 to 12,200

in 1994, an increase of about 6 percent. The number of foreign service

national employees has remained constant at around 18,900 over the years.

Notwithstanding data limitations, we have used State’s data on DOD

personnel in the following figures and tables. Figure I.l depicts the staffing

trend since 1984, and table I.l provides the number of U.S. direct-hire

positions by agency since 1984.

Page 12 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.1: Ten-Year Trend in U.S.

Staffing Overseas (1984 to 1994) Authorized positions

10000

11000

12000

13000

14000

15000

16000

17000

18000

19000

20000

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

U.S. direct hires

Foreign service nationals

Page 13 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Table I.1: U.S. Direct Hires Overseas

by Agency (1984 to 1994) 

AGENCY 1984 1985 1986

State 7,119 7,200 7,275

Agriculturea 263 270 287

Commercea 244 247 262

USAID 1,516 1,554 1,526

USIA 846 846 889

Defensea 4,359 4,553 5,031

Justicea 453 498 556

Transportationa 374 374 421

Treasurya 347 366 416

Peace Corps 171 171 172

Other agenciese 209 203 206

Subtotal for non-State agencies 8,782 9,082 9,766

Total 15,901 16,282 17,041

Page 14 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

6 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

Percent

change

from 1984

to 1994

5 7,282 7,282 7,305 7,313 7,309 7,240 7,224 7,168 0.7

7 290 290 287 287 287 246 251 250 –4.9

2 243 245 247 244 259 258 258 266 9.0

6 1,500 1,495 1,497 1,490 1,371 1,264 1,292 1,254 –17.3b

9 904 903 888 886 867 896 912 878 3.8c

5,674 5,757 5,820 5,792 5,770 5,876 6,298 6,735 5.2d

6 556 556 563 560 766 797 805 881 94.4

411 411 411 411 407 407 408 492 31.6

6 411 411 403 403 400 403 413 418 20.5

2 172 172 173 173 222 240 291 300 75.4

6 266 268 269 269 271 279 290 298 42.6

6 10,427 10,508 10,558 10,515 10,620 10,666 11,218 11,772

17,709 17,790 17,863 17,828 17,929 17,906 18,442 18,940

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy.

aThese agencies have subordinate agencies represented overseas. For example, the Department

of Commerce includes US&FCS, Bureau of Census, National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration, and other subordinate agencies. The

Department of Agriculture primarily includes Foreign Agricultural Service, Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, and Agricultural Research Service. The Department of Justice includes Drug

Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Naturalization

Service, and other subordinate agencies.

bData provided by USAID showed 1,133 U.S. direct-hire positions authorized in 1994, 

121 positions less than the number reported from State’s database.

cData provided by USIA showed its U.S. direct-hire positions decreasing from 914 in 1984 to 860

in 1994—a decrease of 6 percent.

dThis percentage is based on four DOD agencies whose historical numbers were judged by State

and DOD to be reasonably reliable: Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Security Assistance

Agency, Marine Corps security guards, and Naval Support Unit (Seabees). For these agencies,

the number of U.S. direct hires increased from 2,464 in 1984 to 2,591 in 1994.

eOther agencies include American Battle Monuments Commission, Arms Control and

Disarmament Agency, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Foreign

Broadcast Information Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services

Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Trade and Development Program,

Department of Interior, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, National Science Foundation, U.S. Trade Representative, and Department of

Veterans Affairs.

Page 15 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

State’s Percentage of

Overall Presence Is

Shrinking

The overall percentage of U.S. direct hires overseas who are State

employees has decreased since 1984. In 1984, State represented about

45 percent of diplomatic staffing overseas; today, it accounts for only

38 percent. Similarly, staffing of other foreign affairs agencies—USIA, USAID,

FAS, US&FCS, and the Peace Corps—has also declined, down from

18 percent in 1984 to 15 percent in 1994. Figure I.2 shows the U.S.

direct-hire staffing levels by agency, and figure I.3 compares State’s

staffing level to other agencies.

Page 16 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.2: Distribution of U.S. Direct

Hires by Agency (as of April 1994)

38% • State

1%

Agriculture

1%

Commerce

•

5%

USIA

•

7%

USAID

36%•

Defense

•

5%

Justice

•

3%

Transportation

•

2%

Treasury

•

3%

Other agencies

Note: DOD’s presence is comprised of security assistance and security assistance associated

personnel, 42 percent; Marine Corps security guards, 18 percent; Defense Intelligence Agency,

11 percent; and other Defense personnel (e.g., naval research medical units, Air Force

veterinarians, and fuel supply units), 29 percent.

Page 17 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.3: State, Other Foreign Affairs

Agencies, and Nonforeign Affairs

Agencies as a Percentage of All U.S.

Direct Hires for U.S. Agencies

Overseas

Percent

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Nonforeign affairs

agencies

Other foreign affairs agencies

State

Nonforeign affairs agencies

Other foreign affairs agencies

State

37

18

45

47

15

38

1984 1994

Note: Other foreign affairs agencies are FAS, USAID, US&FCS, USIA, and the Peace Corps.

Nonforeign affairs agencies are DOD, Justice, Transportation, Treasury, Agriculture (excluding

FAS), Commerce (excluding US&FCS), and other agencies.

Staffing Levels

Increased in

Nonforeign Affairs

Agencies

Nonforeign affairs agencies accounted for the increased levels of U.S.

direct hires overseas. In the last 10 years, the number of U.S. direct hires

authorized for nonforeign affairs agencies overseas (excluding DOD) went

from 1,578 to 2,265, an increase of nearly 44 percent, while the U.S.

direct-hire staffing levels of foreign affairs agencies remained relatively

constant. (See figs. I.4 and I.5.)

Page 18 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.4: Trend in U.S. Direct-Hire

Staffing Levels (1984 to 1994) U.S. direct hires

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

State

Other foreign affairs agencies

Nonforeign affairs agencies

Note: Data for FAS and US&FCS, both foreign affairs agencies, were obtained for 1984 and 1994

only. Therefore, for 1984 and 1994, other foreign affairs agencies included FAS and US&FCS, in

addition to USIA, USAID, and the Peace Corps. For the intervening years, from 1985 through

1993, other foreign affairs agencies included the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce

since a break out of FAS and US&FCS data was not readily available. However, this does not

significantly affect the slope of the trend line depicted in this figure.

Page 19 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.5: Change in U.S. Direct-Hire

Staffing Levels (1984 to 1994) U.S. direct hires

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

1984 1994

Nonforeign affairs agencies

Other foreign affairs agencies

State

Note: Other foreign affairs agencies include FAS, USAID, US&FCS, USIA, and the Peace Corps.

Nonforeign affairs agencies include DOD, Justice, Transportation, Treasury, Agriculture

(excluding FAS), Commerce (excluding US&FCS), and other agencies.

The agencies with the largest increases over the years were Justice,

94 percent; Transportation, 32 percent; and Treasury, 21 percent. The

Department of Justice has consistently reported increases every year for

the past 10 years, going from 453 U.S. direct hires in 1984 to 881 in 1994.

Similarly, other nonforeign affairs agencies have increased their staffing

levels.

There are two exceptions to the upward trend in staffing. First, the

Department of Agriculture and USAID have reported a decline in U.S. direct

hires in the last 10 years. Second, the number of U.S. direct hires USAID has

authorized overseas is the lowest it has been in the last 10 years—1,254 in

1994 compared to a high of 1,554 in 1985.

Page 20 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Despite downsizing efforts announced by several federal agencies, since

last year, overall U.S. direct-hire staffing levels overseas have not

significantly changed. As shown in table I.1, between 1993 and 1994, total

U.S. direct-hire employees overseas (excluding DOD) increased slightly.

Some foreign affairs agencies, including USIA and USAID, reported decreases

of less than 4 percent. State cut nearly 60 positions, which is less than a

l-percent decrease. Despite these decreases, overall U.S. direct-hire levels

grew by about 3 percent because of offsetting increases in agencies such

as Transportation (21 percent) and Justice (9 percent).

The expansion of the overseas presence of nonforeign affairs agencies

mainly reflects the increasing “globalization” of U.S. national interests. As

a result, the functional scope of diplomatic posts has broadened, reflecting

the diverse interests of U.S. domestic agencies in fields such as

environmental protection, science and technology, energy, education,

health, and transportation. Moreover, federal functions—including

criminal law enforcement, customs, payment of veterans’ and social

security benefits, and immigration control—have contributed to the

increased staffing in these areas overseas. (For a description of the

missions and programs of U.S. agencies with personnel overseas, see 

app. II.) This escalation in U.S. presence abroad has increased the demand

for management and logistical services, provided by the State Department,

to support the workforce at overseas posts.

Table I.2 lists the number of U.S. direct-hire positions each agency has

assigned to each country.

Page 21 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Table I.2: U.S. Direct-Hire Position

Levels by Country and Agency (1994) 

Country Total State USAIDa

Africa 2,126 1,003 439

1 Kenya 206 67 73

2 South Africa 150 87 14

3 Cote d’Ivoire 137 53 39

4 Nigeria 115 65 5

5 Senegal 98 33 35

6 Zaire 81 59 1

7 Cameroon 64 26 15

8 Ethiopia 60 38 10

9 Zimbabwe 60 31 13

10 Botswana 58 19 7

11 Liberia 57 30 3

12 Sudan 56 35 7

13 Niger 56 19 18

14 Zambia 49 27 10

15 Ghana 49 25 11

16 Mali 49 21 16

17 Mozambique 49 20 18

18 Uganda 46 19 16

19 Chad 46 17 9

20 Guinea 45 19 14

21 Madagascar 42 17 10

22 Tanzania 40 20 8

23 Malawi 40 13 17

24 Gabon 36 10 0

25 Togo 34 16 5

26 Swaziland 30 9 12

27 Sierra Leone 28 15 0

28 Burundi 28 9 9

29 Burkina Faso 27 15 5

30 Congo 26 13 0

31 Namibia 25 14 5

32 Djibouti 24 16 0

33 Rwanda 23 8 11

34 Somalia 21 21 0

35 Mauritania 21 11 0

36 Central African Republic 20 10 1

Page 22 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

a Agricultureb Commercec USIAd DODe Justicef Transportation Treasury

Peace

Corps Otherg

9 14 14 136 365 3 3 11 124 14

3 3 1 9 46 0 0 0 6 1

4 2 3 16 26 0 0 2 0 0

9 3 2 6 24 0 0 2 3 5

5 3 5 13 19 3 0 0 2 0

5 1 0 6 16 0 2 0 5 0

0 0 9 10 0 0 0 0 2

5 0 1 4 12 0 0 0 6 0

0 0 0 3 9 0 0 0 0 0

3 0 0 3 9 0 0 0 4 0

7 0 0 13 12 0 0 0 7 0

3 0 0 3 14 0 1 6 0 0

7 0 0 2 12 0 0 0 0 0

8 0 2 1 9 0 0 0 7 0

0 1 0 3 6 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 4 6 0 0 0 3 0

6 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 5 0

8 0 0 2 9 0 0 0 0 0

6 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 3 0

9 1 0 1 15 0 0 0 3 0

4 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 3 9 0 0 0 3 0

8 0 0 2 7 0 0 0 3 0

7 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 13 6 0 0 0 7 0

5 0 0 2 6 0 0 1 4 0

2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 5

0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 5 1

9 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 3 0

5 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 8 0 0 0 3 0

5 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 6 0 0 0 3 0

(continued)

Page 23 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Country Total State USAIDa

37 Mauritius 18 11 0

38 Benin 18 9 5

39 Guinea-Bissau 15 7 5

40 Angola 14 13 0

41 Lesotho 13 5 4

42 Gambia 13 5 6

43 Eritria 11 10 0

44 Seychelles 10 5 0

45 Cape Verde 9 5 2

46 Equatorial Guinea 8 5 0

47 Comoros* 1 0 0

East Asia and the Pacific 2,932 1,105 129

1 Japan 561 132 0

2 Thailand 493 172 18

3 Philippines 344 125 42

4 Korea 279 93 0

5 Indonesia 220 78 40

6 China 217 134 0

7 Singapore 185 45 22

8 Hong Kongh 169 80 0

9 Australia 163 73 0

10 Malaysia 89 42 0

11 Burma 47 32 0

12 New Zealand 38 20 0

13 Fiji 32 12 6

14 Papua New Guinea 18 11 0

15 Cambodia 18 16 0

16 Laos 13 10 0

17 Mongolia 11 7 1

18 Marshall Islands 11 4 0

19 Micronesia 10 3 0

20 Brunei 5 5 0

21 Western Samoa 4 1 0

22 Solomon Islands* 3 0 0

23 Palau 2 2 0

Near East 2,986 692 173

1 Saudi Arabia 1,395 92 0

2 Egypt 488 102 110

Page 24 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

a Agricultureb Commercec USIAd DODe Justicef Transportation Treasury

Peace

Corps Otherg

0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0

5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0

5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0

6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

9 39 76 158 1,019 108 171 37 44 54

0 7 23 25 189 7 147 11 0 20

8 1 2 16 210 55 1 3 5 10

2 2 5 30 105 9 1 7 5 13

0 4 8 17 143 6 0 3 0 5

0 6 5 14 76 0 1 0 0 0

0 6 12 24 35 0 1 2 3 0

2 2 4 2 89 5 14 2 0 0

0 2 5 10 47 13 0 7 0 5

0 4 7 7 61 7 1 2 0 1

0 2 3 4 35 3 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 10 3 0 0 0 0

0 1 1 2 14 0 0 0 0 0

6 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 11 0

0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 2 0

0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 18 22 83 1,893 3 36 14 6 46

0 5 11 9 1,219 0 17 11 0 31

0 4 4 13 251 3 0 1 0 0

(continued)

Page 25 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Country Total State USAIDa

3 Israel 156 69 1

4 Kuwait 137 41 0

5 Morocco 137 53 25

6 Jordan 116 52 15

7 United Arab Emirates 93 34 0

8 Tunisia 90 47 7

9 Bahrain 75 28 0

10 Oman 64 23 4

11 Syria 49 34 0

12 Yemen 49 23 10

13 Algeria 45 24 0

14 Jerusalemh 33 25 0

15 Lebanon 28 21 1

16 Iraq 12 9 0

17 Qatar 10 6 0

18 Afghanistan* 9 9 0

Europe and Canada 6,609 2,482 74

1 Germany 1,081 322 10

2 Canada 637 98 0

3 United Kingdom 523 125 0

4 Italy 402 140 4

5 France 391 204 4

6 Belgium 382 138 0

7 Spain 341 72 0

8 Turkey 341 91 0

9 Russia 293 148 10

10 Greece 263 142 0

11 Austria 196 95 0

12 Switzerland 186 112 0

13 Poland 154 79 9

14 Netherlands 151 42 0

15 Portugal 118 47 2

16 Denmark 83 26 0

17 Hungary 81 41 0

18 Romania 74 40 5

19 Czech Republic 65 31 0

20 Finland 65 36 0

21 Cyprus 64 32 0

Page 26 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

a Agricultureb Commercec USIAd DODe Justicef Transportation Treasury

Peace

Corps Otherg

0 1 6 74 0 0 0 0 5

0 0 2 2 71 0 15 2 0 4

5 2 1 20 34 0 0 0 2 0

5 0 0 6 39 0 0 0 0 4

0 3 1 1 54 0 0 0 0 0

7 2 0 6 24 0 0 0 2 2

0 0 0 1 42 0 4 0 0 0

4 0 0 2 35 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 4 11 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 3 11 0 0 0 2 0

0 2 1 5 13 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 67 104 278 2,491 333 274 283 72 151

0 6 13 34 557 25 65 21 0 28

0 5 11 6 179 170 0 167 0 1

0 4 7 9 257 15 50 20 0 36

4 7 8 15 119 27 58 18 0 6

4 6 11 15 101 14 2 24 0 10

0 8 4 12 158 7 44 4 0 7

0 2 4 11 215 5 30 0 0 3

0 1 3 9 208 9 20 0 0 0

0 3 9 22 68 3 1 4 13 12

0 1 4 26 78 11 1 0 0 0

0 3 3 17 53 12 2 3 0 8

0 4 6 4 32 7 0 1 0 20

9 3 2 18 33 0 0 0 5 5

0 7 4 3 76 6 0 9 0 4

2 2 1 3 63 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 1 2 49 3 1 0 0 0

0 0 2 6 27 0 0 0 4 1

5 0 1 7 18 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 1 7 22 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 3 2 24 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 19 5 0 0 0 7

(continued)

Page 27 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Country Total State USAIDa

22 Sweden 60 37 0

23 Serbia-Montenegro 58 31 0

24 Ukraine 58 29 9

25 Norway 53 29 0

26 Bulgaria 52 27 4

27 Ireland 38 23 0

28 Kazakhstan 32 16 6

29 Croatia 30 17 1

30 Bermuda 26 3 0

31 Slovak Republic 23 12 4

32 Uzbekistan 22 15 0

33 Albania 21 12 2

34 Armenia 21 14 0

35 Luxembourg 20 12 0

36 Malta 20 13 0

37 Belarus 19 11 0

38 Iceland 18 10 0

39 Latvia 17 11 1

40 Georgia 15 13 0

41 Lithuania 14 9 2

42 Holy See 14 8 0

43 Kyrgyzstan 14 10 0

44 Moldova 13 10 0

45 Turkmenistan 13 10 0

46 Azerbaijan 13 11 0

47 Estonia 10 8 1

48 Tajikistan 10 10 0

49 Slovenia 6 5 0

50 Bosnia-Hercegovina 6 5 0

51 Former Yugoslav Republic

of Macedonia 1 0 0

Latin America and the

Caribbean 3,442 1,455 303

1 Mexico 479 210 1

2 Brazil 257 131 2

3 Colombia 211 96 2

4 Honduras 202 61 31

5 El Salvador 188 66 38

Page 28 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

a Agricultureb Commercec USIAd DODe Justicef Transportation Treasury

Peace

Corps Otherg

0 1 3 3 16 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 8 18 0 0 0 0 0

9 1 0 3 10 0 0 0 6 0

0 0 1 2 21 0 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 5 14 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 1 1 8 5 0 0 0 0

6 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 5 0

0 0 2 10 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 9 0 12 0 1

4 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 2 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 0

2 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 2

0 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 107 43 151 823 404 8 70 51 27

62 18 23 64 82 0 14 0 5

2 3 5 28 70 11 2 5 0 0

2 2 1 7 49 54 0 0 0 0

3 1 5 87 7 0 0 7 0

8 0 0 6 65 11 0 0 2 0

(continued)

Page 29 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Country Total State USAIDa

6 Bolivia 183 57 28

7 Venezuela 161 69 0

8 Peru 152 73 19

9 Bahamas 150 17 0

10 Panama 149 56 10

11 Guatemala 132 48 21

12 Argentina 116 53 0

13 Ecuador 116 50 17

14 Dominican Republic 108 56 17

15 Costa Rica 108 45 25

16 Jamaica 100 50 19

17 Chile 99 48 1

18 Nicaragua 94 43 30

19 Haiti 86 42 17

20 Barbados 71 33 16

21 Uruguay 60 27 1

22 Paraguay 51 21 1

23 Cuba 38 27 0

24 Belize 33 13 6

25 Trinidad and Tobago 30 20 0

26 Guyana 28 20 1

27 Suriname 21 13 0

28 Netherlands Antilles 11 4 0

29 Antigua and Barbuda* 5 3 0

30 Grenada 3 3 0

South Asia 727 348 136

1 Pakistan 261 124 57

2 India 259 139 14

3 Bangladesh 84 34 34

4 Sri Lanka 69 28 17

5 Nepal 54 23 14

Page 30 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

a Agricultureb Commercec USIAd DODe Justicef Transportation Treasury

Peace

Corps Otherg

8 0 0 4 37 53 0 0 3 1

0 3 3 7 51 15 1 8 0 4

9 1 1 7 30 21 0 0 0 0

0 2 0 1 34 61 0 35 0 0

0 2 2 5 45 11 1 5 2 10

11 1 5 30 9 0 0 4 3

0 3 2 9 39 7 1 0 2 0

7 1 1 6 28 10 0 0 2 1

7 3 1 2 21 4 0 1 3 0

5 4 1 8 14 6 2 0 3 0

9 1 2 2 16 4 0 0 5 1

3 3 5 31 5 0 0 2 1

0 0 0 3 16 0 0 0 2 0

7 2 0 3 17 2 1 0 2 0

6 0 0 2 14 6 0 0 0 0

0 0 2 14 12 0 2 2 0

0 0 3 15 3 0 0 3 5

0 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 0

6 1 0 3 5 2 0 0 3 0

0 0 1 1 8 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6 5 7 63 128 29 0 3 6 2

7 1 1 14 38 22 0 3 0 1

4 4 6 28 61 7 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 5 10 0 0 0 0 1

7 0 0 13 11 0 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 3 8 0 0 0 6 0

Page 31 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy.

(*)State has closed these posts. However, other agencies may continue to maintain staff at some

of these locations. In addition, State may continue to carry position data in its database because

(1) it is anticipated that the post might reopen, (2) data from other agencies have not been

updated, or (3) corrections have not been made to the data system to assign remaining positions

to another post.

aStaffing data provided by USAID showed that it had 1,133 U.S. direct-hire positions in 1994, 121

less than the 1,254 authorized level reported from State’s database. In addition, there were some

discrepancies in the distribution of these positions. For example, according to USAID officials, no

positions are authorized for the following countries: Central African Republic, Portugal, Togo, and

Zaire. However, as shown above, information from State’s database continues to reflect USAID

presence in these locations. Agency officials also told us that USAID plans to reduce or eliminate

positions authorized for several countries in which the agency currently maintains a presence.

bThe Department of Agriculture includes primarily the Foreign Agricultural Service, Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service, and Agricultural Research Service.

cThe Department of Commerce includes US&FCS, Bureau of Census, National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration, and other subordinate

agencies.

dStaffing data provided by USIA showed that, in general, its 1994 figures were comparable to

those reported from State’s database.

eDOD includes Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Mapping Agency, Marine Corps security

guards, Naval Support Unit (Seabees), security assistance and associated personnel, and other

defense personnel.

f

The Department of Justice includes Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of

Investigation, Immigration and Naturalization Service, and other subordinate agencies.

gOther agencies include American Battle Monuments Commission, Arms Control and

Disarmament Agency, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Foreign

Broadcast Information Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services

Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Trade and Development Program,

Department of Interior, Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, National Aeronautics and Space

Administration, National Science Foundation, U.S. Trade Representative, and Department of

Veterans Affairs.

hThe consulates general in Hong Kong and Jerusalem are independent foreign service posts.

Staffing Changes in

the Regions Varied

The largest staffing decrease between 1993 and 1994 was in the Latin

America and the Caribbean region, with an overall decrease of over 90

positions, or about a 3-percent reduction. Africa and South Asia both show

smaller decreases. The Near East region showed the largest increase—up

by nearly 400 positions or an increase of 15 percent. The U.S. presence in

Europe and Canada grew by about 300 positions due primarily to increases

in nonforeign affairs agencies such as the Departments of Justice and

Transportation. Staffing levels in East Asia and the Pacific went up by

about 60 positions or a 2-percent growth. (See fig. I.6.)

Page 32 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.6: Change in U.S. Direct-Hire

Staffing Levels by Region Between

1993 and 1994

U.S. direct hires

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

6000

6500

7000

Africa

East Asia and the Pacific

Near East

Europe and Canada

Latin America and the Caribbean

South Asia

1993

1994

Staffing Levels Vary

Widely

The United States maintains a presence in 169 countries: 51 countries in

Europe and Canada, 45 in Africa, 29 in Latin America and the Caribbean,

22 in East Asia and the Pacific, 17 in the Near East, and 5 in South Asia.

Staffing levels vary widely, ranging anywhere from a l-person post in the

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to about 1,100 U.S. direct-hire

and 800 foreign service national employees in Germany. The median

staffing level for a country is about 100 personnel—50 U.S. direct hires and

50 foreign service national employees. That is, half of the countries with a

U.S. presence are staffed with 100 or more employees, and the remaining

half have fewer than 100 employees.

Based on the number of U.S. direct hires and locally hired staff, 

8 countries have staffing levels that exceed l,000—Germany, Saudi Arabia,

the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Egypt, and France. The U.S.

Page 33 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

presence in Saudi Arabia is the second largest, primarily because of DOD.

The largest locally hired workforce is in the Philippines where 8 agencies

employ over 1,000 foreign service nationals. In the top 25 countries, the

workforce consists of 380 employees or more U.S. direct-hire and foreign

service national employees. About one-third of the countries have 30 or

less American direct hires working at post.

Figure I.7 shows the countries with the largest U.S. direct-hire and foreign

service national staffing, while table I.3 provides the U.S. direct-hire and

foreign service national staffing levels for each country with a U.S.

presence.

Page 34 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.7: The Top 25 Countries With the Largest Staffing

1

14 24

20

11

18

13 21

3

17

4

6

15

22

9

2 7

12

10

5

16

8

19

23

25

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

Rank Country

Germany


Saudi Arabia


Philippines


Japan


Mexico


Thailand


Egypt


France


United Kingdom


Canada


Italy


Greece


India


Belgium


Korea


Brazil


Indonesia


Turkey


Spain


Austria


Hong Kong


Pakistan


Morocco


Poland


Kenya

1,081


1,395


344


561


479


493


488


392


523


645


402


263


259


382


279


257


223


341


342


215


169


261


137


154


206

825


246


1,020


707


773


750


614


652


384


223


412


496


395


248


341


326


335


208


171


235


271


171


260


231


174

1,906


1,641


1,364


1,268


1,252


1,243


1,102


1,044


907


868


814


759


654


630


620


583


558


549


513


450


440


432


397


385


380

U.S. direct hires Foreign service nationals Total

Page 35 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Table I.3: List of Countries in Rank Order Based on the Level of Staffing

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

1 2 2 Germany 277 804 1,081 825 1,906

2 1 18 Saudi Arabia 65 1,330 1,395 246 1,641

3 12 1 Philippines 100 244 344 1,020 1,364

4 4 5 Japan 120 441 561 707 1,268

5 8 3 Mexico 180 299 479 773 1,252

6 6 4 Thailand 125 368 493 750 1,243

7 7 7 Egypt 90 398 488 614 1,102

8 10 6 France 162 230 392 652 1,044

9 5 11 United Kingdom 99 424 523 384 907

10 3 22 Canada 98 547 645 223 868

11 9 9 Italy 111 291 402 412 814

12 17 8 Greece 60 203 263 496 759

13 19 10 India 109 150 259 395 654

14 11 17 Belgium 115 267 382 248 630

15 16 12 Korea 71 208 279 341 620

16 20 14 Brazil 92 165 257 326 583

17 21 13 Indonesia 63 160 223 335 558

18 14 24 Turkey 73 268 341 208 549

19 13 30* Spain 56 286 342 171 513

20 23 19 Austria 82 133 215 235 450

21 31 15 Hong Konga 59 110 169 271 440

22 18 30* Pakistan 103 158 261 171 432

23 41* 16 Morocco 43 94 137 260 397

24 35 20* Poland 72 82 154 231 385

25 25 29 Kenya 53 153 206 174 380

26 24 34 Colombia 77 134 211 158 369

27* 26 33 Honduras 41 161 202 163 365

27* 34 23 Israel 55 101 156 209 365

29 36* 25 Panama 50 102 152 204 356

30 36* 26 Peru 56 96 152 198 350

31 15 79* Russia 142 150 292 56 348

32 27 37 El Salvador 48 140 188 140 328

33 29 45 Singapore 36 148 184 126 310

34 49 28 Nigeria 54 61 115 184 299

(continued)

Page 36 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

35 30 49 Bolivia 42 141 183 115 298

36 28 51 Switzerland 81 105 186 111 297

37 32 43 Australia 59 104 163 128 291

38* 33 44 Venezuela 50 111 161 127 288

38* 79 20* Liberia 20 37 57 231 288

40 39 42 South Africa 78 72 150 129 279

41 50* 32 Dominican Republic 50 58 108 166 274

42 41* 40 Cote d’Ivoire 41 96 137 135 272

43* 44 38* Guatemala 37 95 132 137 269

43* 46* 35* Argentina 39 77 116 153 269

45 38 50 Netherlands 31 120 151 114 265

46 46* 38* Ecuador 36 80 116 137 253

47 57 35* Tunisia 43 47 90 153 243

48 50* 41 Costa Rica 30 78 108 130 238

49* 45 48 Portugal 36 82 118 116 234

49* 46* 47 Jordan 42 74 116 118 234

51 22 145* China 128 89 217 10 227

52 52* 46 Jamaica 43 56 99 120 219

53 108* 27 Croatia 15 15 30 187 217

54 52* 52 Chile 37 62 99 109 208

55 59 53 Haiti 38 48 86 108 194

56 41* 84 Kuwait 34 103 137 51 188

57 58 55 Malaysia 33 56 89 96 185

58 54 60 Senegal 30 68 98 79 177

59 39* 116 Bahamas 17 133 150 25 175

60 60 59 Bangladesh 32 52 84 80 164

61 70* 56 Cameroon 25 39 64 93 157

62 55 75* Nicaragua 42 52 94 61 155

63* 66 58 Barbados 26 45 71 83 154

63* 62* 64* Hungary 36 45 81 73 154

65 86 54 Paraguay 16 35 51 100 151

66 62* 68 Zaire 33 48 81 68 149

67 67 62* Sri Lanka 26 43 69 77 146

68 56 85* United Arab Emirates 26 67 93 50 143

69 61 78 Denmark 18 65 83 57 140

70 64 72* Bahrain 17 58 75 63 138

(continued)

Page 37 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

71 70* 64* Cyprus 24 40 64 73 137

72 65 74 Romania 40 34 74 62 136

73 93 57 Burma 24 23 47 88 135

74 82 61 Nepal 17 37 54 78 132

75 73* 66* Uruguay 22 38 60 70 130

76 73* 69 Sweden 23 37 60 67 127

77 87* 62* Ghana 23 26 49 77 126

78 80* 72* Sudan 30 26 56 63 119

79* 68* 85* Finland 30 35 65 50 115

79* 87* 70 Syria 35 14 49 66 115

81 87* 71 Mali 19 30 49 65 114

82 87* 75* Yemen 20 29 49 61 110

83* 73* 87* Ethiopia 27 33 60 49 109

83* 80* 82 Niger 13 43 56 53 109

85 83 81 Norway 19 34 53 54 107

86 73* 95* Zimbabwe 24 36 60 42 102

87* 84* 91* Bulgaria 24 28 52 47 99

87* 77* 97 Botswana 16 42 58 41 99

89 101* 77 Ireland 23 15 38 60 98

89* 111* 66* Lebanon 18 10 28 70 98

91 70* 110 Oman 17 47 64 30 94

92* 84* 98* Serbia-Montenegro 23 29 52 40 92

92* 96* 91* Algeria 21 24 45 47 92

92* 99* 83 Tanzania 17 23 40 52 92

95 101* 89* New Zealand 18 20 38 48 86

96* 104 87* Togo 13 21 34 49 83

96* 115* 79* Burkina Faso 15 12 27 56 83

98 87* 104* Zambia 21 28 49 33 82

99 96* 104* Guinea 15 30 45 33 78

100 108* 91* Swaziland 9 21 30 47 77

101 111* 89* Sierra Leone 11 17 28 48 76

102 98 107* Madagascar 16 26 42 31 73

103 105* 100* Belize 12 21 33 39 72

104 94* 117 Uganda 15 31 46 24 70

105 108* 100* Trinidad and Tobago 20 10 30 39 69

106* 111* 98* Guyana 18 10 28 40 68

(continued)

Page 38 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

106* 87* 123* Mozambique 17 32 49 19 68

106* 99* 113 Malawi 13 27 40 28 68

106* 105* 103 Jerusalema 25 8 33 35 68

110 68* 166* Czech Republic 28 37 65 2 67

111 77* 147* Ukraine 25 33 58 8 66

112* 94* 125* Chad 12 34 46 18 64

112* 126* 94 Mauritania 10 11 21 43 64

114 111* 104* Burundi 9 19 28 33 61

115 115* 107* Fiji 10 17 27 31 58

116 146* 95* Laos 10 3 13 42 55

117 146* 102 Sao Tome and Principeb 0 13 13 38 51

118 122* 114 Rwanda 8 15 23 27 50

119* 122* 115 Gabon 10 13 23 26 49

119* 134* 107* Mauritius 8 10 18 31 49

121 107 137* Kazakhstan 14 18 32 15 47

122 117* 123* Congo 11 15 26 19 45

123 126* 118* Somalia 13 8 21 22 43

124* 130* 120 Luxembourg 9 11 20 21 41

124* 153 111* Iraq 2 10 12 29 41

126* 120* 132* Djibouti 12 12 24 16 40

126* 134* 118* Benin 8 10 18 22 40

126* 125 125* Uzbekistan 13 9 22 18 40

129* 126* 125* Albania 10 11 21 18 39

129* 122* 132* Slovak Republic 10 13 23 16 39

131* 101* 170* Cuba 27 11 38 0 38

131* 134* 121* Papua New Guinea 11 7 18 20 38

131* 163* 111* Afghanistanc 6 3 9 29 38

131* 130* 125* Central African Republic 10 10 20 18 38

135* 126* 132* Suriname 11 10 21 16 37

135* 130* 130* Malta 13 7 20 17 37

137 134* 125* Iceland 10 8 18 18 36

138 119 145* Namibia 11 14 25 10 35

139* 117* 151 Bermuda 3 23 26 7 33

139* 146* 121* Lesotho 5 8 13 20 33

141 134* 140* Cambodia 16 2 18 14 32

142* 140* 137* Guinea Bissau 7 8 15 15 30

(continued)

Page 39 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

142* 146* 130* Gambia 5 8 13 17 30

144 142* 137* Angola 10 4 14 15 29

145 120* 157* Armenia 15 9 24 4 28

146 158* 132* Micronesia 3 7 10 16 26

147 133 152* Belarus 9 10 19 6 25

148 158* 142* Qatar 6 4 10 13 23

149* 163* 142* Cape Verde 5 4 9 13 22

149* 139 152* Latvia 9 7 16 6 22

151* 169* 140* Antigua and Barbudac 3 2 5 14 19

151* 154* 147* Netherlands Antilles 4 7 11 8 19

151* 173* 132* Grenada 3 0 3 16 19

151* 142* 156 Holy See 8 6 14 5 19

155* 158* 147* Seychelles 5 5 10 8 18

155* 142* 157* Kyrgyzstan 8 6 14 4 18

157* 140* 166* Georgia 11 4 15 2 17

157* 146* 157* Moldova 8 5 13 4 17

157* 146* 157* Turkmenistan 8 5 13 4 17

157* 173* 142* Solomon Islandsc 0 3 3 13 16

161 154* 157* Marshall Islands 4 7 11 4 15

162* 165 152* Equatorial Guinea 5 3 8 6 14

162* 142* 170* Lithuania 9 5 14 0 14

164 146* 170* Azerbaijan 9 4 13 0 13

165 154* 169 Eritrea 7 4 11 1 12

166* 169* 152* Brunei 5 0 5 6 11

166* 154* 170* Mongolia 7 4 11 0 11

168* 175* 147* French Caribbean Dept.c 2 0 2 8 10

168* 158* 170* Estonia 8 2 10 0 10

168* 158* 170* Tajikistan 8 2 10 0 10

171 166* 162* Slovenia 5 1 6 3 9

172 171* 162* Western Samoa 1 3 4 3 7

173* 166* 170* Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 1 6 0 6

175* 177* 162* Comorosc 0 1 1 3 4

175* 177* 162* Tongatabu Groupd 0 1 1 3 4

175* 175* 166* Palau 2 0 2 2 4

(continued)

Page 40 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Ranking based on

U.S. direct hires

Total staffing

U.S. direct

hires

Foreign

service

nationals Country State

Other U.S.

government Total

Foreign

service

nationals Total

175* 171* 170* Kiribatid 0 4 4 0 4

179* 177* 170* Cayman Islandse 0 1 1 0 1

179* 177* 170* Former Yugoslav

Republic of Macedonia

0 1 1 0 1

An asterisk (*) means that this ranking is tied with one or more other countries.

aThe consulates general in Hong Kong and Jerusalem are independent foreign service posts.

bNo post at this location. Positions for Sao Tome and Principe report to the Chief of Mission in,

and should be included in the post totals for, Gabon.

cPost has closed. However, State may continue to carry position data in its database because

(1) it is anticipated that the post might reopen, (2) data from other agencies have not been

updated, or (3) corrections have not been made to the data system to assign remaining positions

to another post.

dNo post at this location. Positions for Kiribati and Tongatabu Group report to the Chief of Mission

in, and should be included in the post total for, Fiji.

eNo post at this location. Positions for the Cayman Islands report to the Chief of Mission in, and

should be included in the post total for, Jamaica.

Number and Types of

Posts

There are presently 260 U.S. diplomatic posts overseas. Of these, 162 are

embassies, 67 consulates general and 17 consulates, 8 U.S. missions to

multilateral organizations, 3 embassy branch offices, 2 liaison offices, and

an interest section. There are 93 posts in Europe and Canada (36 percent

of all posts); 50 posts in Africa (19 percent of all posts); 43 posts in Latin

America and the Caribbean (17 percent of all posts); 42 posts in East Asia

and the Pacific (16 percent of all posts); 21 posts in the Near East

(8 percent of all posts); and 11 posts in South Asia (4 percent of all posts).

The number and types of posts vary greatly from region to region. In three

regions—Africa, the Near East, and South Asia—there are few constituent

posts. According to State officials, with few constituent posts remaining in

these regions, any downsizing and post closing initiatives that State may

have to undertake will likely have to consider not only consulates and

other constituent posts but, possibly, some embassies as well.

In general, the proportion of U.S. direct hires assigned to a region reflects

the proportion of the U.S. posts in that region. For example, South Asia,

which has 4 percent of U.S. direct hires overseas, also has 4 percent of

Page 41 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

U.S. posts worldwide. East Asia and the Pacific has 16 percent of the posts

and, correspondingly, 16 percent of the U.S. direct hires. Similarly, Europe

and Canada represent about one-third of U.S. direct hires and U.S. posts

worldwide. However, two regions—Africa and the Near East—show

sizable variations. Africa has 19 percent of U.S. posts, yet it only has

11 percent of all U.S. direct hires overseas. Conversely, the Near East

represents 8 percent of U.S. posts but 16 percent of U.S. direct hires. These

numbers are illustrated in figures I.8 through I.10.

Figure I.8: Distribution of U.S.

Diplomatic Posts by Region (1994)

19% • Africa

16% • East Asia and the Pacific

36%•

Europe and Canada

•17%

Latin America and the Caribbean

•

8%

Near East

•

4%

South Asia

Page 42 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.9: Distribution of U.S. Direct

Hires by Region (1994)

11% • Africa

16% • East Asia and the Pacific

35% • Europe and Canada

18%•

Latin America and the Caribbean

•16%

Near East

•

4%

South Asia

Page 43 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.10: Number of U.S. Diplomatic

Posts by Region and Type of Post

(1994)

Number of posts

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Africa

East Asia and the Pacific

Europe and Canada

Latin America and the Caribbean

Near East

South Asia

45

5

20

22

49

44

27

16 16

5 5 6

Embassies

Consulates and other constituent posts

Note: Other constituent posts include U.S. missions to multilateral organizations, embassy branch

offices, liaison offices, and interest sections.

There are multiple posts in 35 countries—15 in Europe, 8 in East Asia and

the Pacific, 5 in North and South America, 3 in the Near East, 2 in Africa,

and 2 in South Asia. Of these, there are 2 posts in 13 countries, 3 to 4 posts

in 13 countries, 5 to 6 posts in 6 countries, and 7 to 9 posts in 3 countries.

(See fig. I.11.) For example, Mexico has four consulates and four

consulates general in addition to the embassy in Mexico City—a total of

nine posts. In Switzerland, Bern has an embasssy and Zurich has a

Page 44 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

consulate general in addition to the U.S. mission to Geneva.2 Other

countries with two or three posts include Indonesia, Spain, Romania,

Morocco, Ecuador, and United Arab Emirates.

2

The U.S. mission to Geneva provides permanent representation to U.N. organizations and other

international organizations headquartered in Geneva. The mission also provides support for over 

300 international conferences a year. In addition, the U.S. Trade Representative and Arms Control and

Disarmament Agency have U.S. missions in Geneva.

Page 45 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Figure I.11: Countries With Multiple

Posts

Australia


Austria


Belgium


Brazil


Canada


China


Colombia


Ecuador


France


Germany


Greece


India


Indonesia


Italy


Japan


Korea


Mexico


Morocco


Netherlands


New Zealand


Nigeria


Pakistan


Philippines


Poland


Portugal


Romania


Russia


Saudi Arabia


South Africa


Spain


Switzerland


Thailand


Turkey


United Arab Emirates


United Kingdom


2 Posts

3 Posts

4 Posts

5 Posts

6 Posts

7 Posts

8 Posts

9 Posts

Page 46 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

U.S. Presence

Overseas Expands

At present, the United States has 260 U.S. diplomatic posts overseas,

compared to 233 posts a decade ago. In 1992, State conducted a

post-closing exercise that culminated in a proposal to close 20 posts, 17 of

which have been closed in 1993 and 1994.3

 A number of the posts closed,

such as Moroni and Honiara, had opened within the last 10 years. Table I.4

lists post closings and post openings, including those upgraded or

reopened, since 1984.

Table I.4: Post Closings and Openings

(1984 to 1994) Year Posts closed Posts openeda

1984 None Bandar Seri Begawan,

 Brunei (upgraded from C

 to E)

Pusan, Korea (C)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

 (upgraded

 from CG to E)

St. George’s, Grenada (E)

Shenyang, China (C)

Vatican City, The Holy See

 (E)

1985-86 Blantyre, Malawi (BO)

Bremen, Germany (C)

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

 (C)

Salvador da Bahai, Brazil

 (C)

Seville, Spain (C)

Trieste, Italy (C)

Winnipeg, Canada (C)

Chengdu, China (C)

Dubai, United Arab

Emirates (C)

Moroni, Comoros (E)

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

 (E)

1987-88 Nice, France (C)

Dusseldorf, Germany (C)

Goteborg, Sweden (C)

Tangier, Morocco (CG)

Turin, Italy (C)

Apia, Western Samoa (E)

Honiara, Solomon Islands

 (upgraded from C to E)

Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia (E)

Koror, Palau (upgraded

 from LO to E)

1989-90 Berlin, German Democratic

 Republic (E)

Kolonia, Micronesia

 (upgraded from

 Representative Office

 to E)

Majuro, Marshall Islands

 (upgraded from

 Representative Office to

 E)

Windhoek, Namibia (E)

(continued)

3

State Department: Staffing Process Not Linked to Policy Priorities (GAO/NSIAD-94-228, 

Sept. 20, 1994) provides additional information on the post-closing exercise.

Page 47 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Year Posts closed Posts openeda

1991-92 Oporto, Portugal (C)

Antwerp, Belgium (CG)

Lyon, France (CG)

Lubumbashi, Zaire (CG)

Mogadishu, Somalia (E)

Almaty, Kazakhstan (E)

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (E)

Baku, Azerbaijan (E)

Berlin, Germany (upgraded

 from U.S. mission to BO)

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (E)

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

 (CG)

Chisinau, Moldova (E)

Dushanbe, Tajikistan (E)

Kiev, Ukraine (upgraded

 from CG to E)

Leipzig, Germany (CG)

Ljubljana, Slovenia (E)

Luanda, Angola (LO)

Minsk, Belarus (E)

Riga, Latvia (E)

Tallinn, Estonia (E)

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (E)

Tbilisi, Georgia (E)

Tirana, Albania (E)

Vladivostok, Russia (CG)

Vilnius, Lithuania (E)

Yerevan, Armenia (E)

Zagreb, Croatia

 (upgraded from CG to E)

Abuja, Nigeria (BO)b

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 (LO)

1993-94 Moroni, Comoros (E)

St. Johns, Antigua

 and Barbuda (E)

Honiara, Solomon Islands

 (E)

Oran, Algeria (C)

Douala, Cameroon (C)

Mombasa, Kenya (C)

Kaduna, Nigeria (CG)

Fort-de-France,

 Martinique (CG)

Mazatlan, Mexico (C)

Maracaibo, Venezuela (C)

Salzburg, Austria (CG)

Genoa, Italy (CG)

Palermo, Sicily (CG)

Geneva, Switzerland (BO)

Izmir, Turkey (CG)

Alexandria, Egypt (CG)

Songkhla, Thailand (C)

Asmara, Eritrea

 (upgraded from C to E)

Bratislava, Slovak Republic

 (upgraded from CG to E)

Mogadishu, Somalia (LO)c

Yekaterinburg, Russia (C)

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 (upgraded from LO to E)

Cluj-Napoca, Romania (BO)

Nagoya, Japan (C)

Sarajevo, Bosnia (E)

Skopje, Macedonia (LO)

(Table notes on next page)

Page 48 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix I 

Staffing Data

Legend: BO = Branch office

C = Consulate

CG = Consulate general

E = Embassy

LO = Liaison office

aSome of the posts opened may have been converted from one status to another (e.g., from a

former consulate general to an embassy).

bAbuja is covered by personnel assigned on temporary duty.

cSomalia liaison office is located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Page 49 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Limitations on Data Many of the 10 agencies we reviewed did not have comprehensive data on

the costs of their overseas operations. However, agencies provided the

most complete cost data they had available for fiscal year 1993. Due to

differences in their respective accounting structures, some of the agencies

we reviewed could not break out the data in a way that would allow us to

present consistent cost categories across the board. For example, for

personnel costs, two agencies could not break out the cost of U.S. and

foreign national personal services contractors. In addition, allowances that

were accounted as personnel costs varied between agencies. To assist the

reader, we have noted the elements included in each of the cost categories

where necessary. Despite these limitations, the information presented in

this fact sheet represents the most complete data available of agencies’

overseas costs that, unless otherwise noted, are based on actual

obligations in fiscal year 1993.

An American

Employee Overseas

Costs Much More

Than a

Washington-Based

Employee

The costs of stationing U.S. government personnel overseas are high.

Some agencies estimate that it costs roughly two to three times more to

keep a person abroad than in Washington. For example, USAID estimated

that the average cost per agency employee overseas is $352,000—or

roughly three times the $109,000 average cost for a Washington-based

employee. These estimates are based on an allocation of the agency’s total

overseas operating costs, including the costs of foreign service nationals

and personal services contractors, to only U.S. direct hires. (It is not

indicative of the actual costs associated directly with each U.S. employee.)

Because of compensatory and incentive allowances and benefits, the U.S.

government incurs additional costs to support U.S. direct-hire personnel

on overseas assignments.1

 State estimates that the average cost for

allowances and benefits to support a new American position overseas is

$93,000. This estimate includes the costs for post travel, educational

allowance, hardship pay, language incentive allowance, cost-of-living

adjustment, rest and recuperation travel, rent, and miscellaneous

expenses.

Foreign service national employees do not receive these benefits, but

depending on local employment standards, salaries of foreign nationals

can be more than those of American employees. For example, in Japan,

1

In 1986, we identified 65 categories of compensatory and incentive allowances and benefits to U.S.

direct-hire personnel overseas. Compensatory allowances include pay differentials for such things as

differences in living conditions overseas, lack of adequate schooling, and medical facilities. Incentive

allowances include free housing and utilities, bonuses for language competency, and rest and

recuperation expenses.

Page 50 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

the cost of salaries and expenses for a foreign service national employee

averages about $70,000 per year.

For planning and budgeting purposes, State’s Office of Budget and

Planning has estimated the cost of positions overseas from two different

perspectives: (1) costs of adding a new American position and associated

start-up expenses and (2) savings from eliminating a position. When

adding a new U.S. direct-hire position to an overseas post, the Office uses

an estimated cost figure of $228,0002

 for the first full year—representing

$93,000 for compensatory and incentive allowances and benefits, an

average salary of $60,000, and $75,000 for other operating expenses. The

Office uses an adjusted figure of $161,0003

 when estimating savings from

cutting an American position overseas. This is $67,000 less than the costs

of adding a position because it does not include certain operating costs,

such as security, which do not decrease when a position is cut.

Recently, State has been trying to develop better overseas data reflecting

actual allotments for each post. Although these data are still preliminary,

they indicate that State’s planning figure of $228,000 may understate the

actual costs. Based on fiscal year 1993 actual post allotments, preliminary

data show that the average cost per State U.S. direct-hire employee is

about $248,000.4

The preliminary data show that costs vary significantly by region and post.

For example, State’s preliminary data show that the average cost per

American employee is: $215,400 in South Asia, $224,700 in Europe,

$228,300 in East Asia and the Pacific, $261,600 in Latin America and the

Caribbean, $271,200 in the Near East, and $285,300 in Africa. To illustrate

the variation in costs between countries, table II.1 provides the

2

The estimated cost for a new American position overseas includes salaries and benefits; post travel;

hardship, education, language incentive, and cost-of-living allowances; rest and recuperation travel;

field travel; office and household furniture; diplomatic security and information management;

miscellaneous costs; representation; rent; and general building maintenance.

3

Estimated savings from cutting an American position overseas takes into account salaries and

benefits; post travel; hardship, education, language incentive, and cost-of-living allowances; rest and

recuperation travel; field travel; office and household furniture; miscellaneous costs; and rent.

Approximately $67,000 in start-up and other operating expenses (e.g., building make-ready costs,

security, and representation) was deducted from the first full year cost figure of $228,000.

4

The estimated cost per American is based on actual post allotments in fiscal year 1993 and American

base pay, post differentials, danger pay, American benefits, diplomatic security, circuitry

(communication transmission lines), rent or living quarters allowance, and routine maintenance and

repair.

Page 51 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

preliminary cost data per American employee of the State Department in

the 14 countries we visited.5

Table II.1: Cost Per American

Employee of the State Department in

Selected Countries Country

Average cost per

American employee

Cote d’Ivoire $414,777

France 392,976

Denmark 375,180

Benin 348,144

Switzerland 347,587

Spain 330,055

Morocco 252,650

Sweden 245,858

Thailand 242,775

Tunisia 237,601

Philippines 215,244

Costa Rica 195,079

Nepal 185,625

Guyana 155,936

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy, Office of Budget

and Planning.

Cost of Overseas

Operations

Our analysis of fiscal year 1993 cost data obtained during our field visits6

showed that it cost

• over $100 million to support more than 2,700 American and foreign

national employees in embassies in Nepal, Thailand, and the Philippines;

• over $77 million to support more than 1,000 American and local national

employees at 6 posts in France; and

• over $7.5 million to support about 300 American and local national

employees at 3 posts in Switzerland.

For the 10 agencies we surveyed, we identified personnel costs of over

$1.3 billion for salaries and benefits of overseas staff. (See table II.2.) In

5

Eight of the 14 countries are above the median cost for the region. The estimated median costs for

each region are as follows: $212,700 for South Asia, $214,300 for Europe, $215,200 for East Asia and the

Pacific, $227,200 for Latin America and the Caribbean, $266,200 for the Near East, and $311,500 for

Africa.

6

These estimates may understate the actual costs because posts could not provide data on all overseas

costs incurred by Washington headquarters organizations.

Page 52 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

addition, the agencies reported spending nearly $1.3 billion in associated

overseas operating costs in fiscal year 1993. In general, personnel costs

include the base pay and benefits of U.S. direct hires and foreign service

national employees. In addition, personnel costs also include, for a

number of agencies, some allowances and the costs of personal services

contractors, both U.S. and foreign nationals.

Table II.2: Personnel Costsa of the Overseas Presence of Selected Agencies

Dollars in thousands

Agency U.S. direct hires

Foreign service

nationals Total

State $511,209.2 $282,258.2 $ 793,467.4

Defense Intelligence Agency 2,945.0 4,246.0 7,191.0

Defense Security Assistance Agency 12,500.0b

Drug Enforcement Administration 62,297.6 62,297.6

Federal Bureau of Investigation 9,063.5 9,063.5

FAS 12,084.0 8,369.1 20,453.1

Immigration and Naturalization Service 6,018.6 6,018.6c

USAID 131,820.9+ 18,758.2+ 219,948.3d

US&FCS 17,412.4 24,334.2 41,746.6

USIA 74,139.0+ 87,118.0+ 167,283.0e

Totalf $1,339,969.1

aIn general, personnel costs include the base pay and benefits of U.S. direct hires and foreign

service nationals. However, for some agencies, certain allowances and the cost of personal

services contractors may also be included. Details are provided in tables II.3 through II.12.

bA break out of the cost of U.S. direct hires and foreign service nationals is not available. (See

table II.5.)

cA break out of the cost of foreign service nationals, which is included in operations costs, is not

available. (See table II.9.)

dTotal includes $69,369,200 for the salaries and benefits of U.S. and foreign national personal

services contractors, as well as third country nationals. A break out of the costs is not available.

(See table II.10.)

eTotal includes about $6 million for the salaries and benefits of U.S. and foreign service national

personal services contractors. A break out of the costs is not available. (See table II.12.)

f

Total personnel cost for the 10 agencies we reviewed is provided. A break out of the total cost of

U.S. direct hires and foreign service nationals is not provided since some agencies did not have

this break out available.

Page 53 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
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Overseas Costs

Department of State The Department’s overall responsibility is to assist the President in

formulating and executing foreign policy. The Department has three

primary roles: formulating foreign policy, conducting foreign relations, and

coordinating major overseas programs. Although embassy personnel

perform a wide range of activities overseas, the most typical roles include:

• reporting on political and economic activities,

• representing the U.S. position on issues to host countries,

• assisting in the administration of U.S. immigration policies,

• providing services to American citizens, and

• providing logistical/administrative support to State and other agencies at

post.7

Collateral activities performed by the State Department overseas include

negotiating agreements, facilitating trade and investment, and

disseminating information on the United States and its foreign policy

interests. State also assists in implementing and coordinating a wide range

of activities overseas, where the Ambassador, as the President’s personal

representative, directs and integrates various foreign assistance, law

enforcement, and economic programs. State provides policy coordination

and program direction on major programs that transcend national

boundaries—such as drugs, terrorism, and refugees.

Cost data reported for the State Department are estimates only because

existing financial systems do not track overseas versus domestic costs

separately. In fiscal year 1993, the cost of State’s overseas operations was

approximately $1.6 billion. (See table II.3.)

7

Logistical/administrative support includes a wide range of activities such as financial services,

communication, and transportation.

Page 54 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Table II.3: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for Department of State Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires and personal services

contract hiresa $ 511,209.2

Foreign service national direct hires

and personal services contract hiresb 282,258.2

Subtotal $ 793,467.4

Other costs

Equipmentc 109,618.3

Operationsd 500,820.7

Securitye 94,490.9

Subtotal $ 704,929.4

Less reimbursements from other agencies (344,997.0)

Net State Department direct costs 1,153,399.8

Representation 4,942.2

Foreign building operations 430,382.0

Total overseas costs $1,588,724.0

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Finance and Management Policy, Office of Budget

and Planning.

aIncludes base pay, base benefits, and allowances of U.S. direct hires and personal services

contractors.

bIncludes base pay and benefits of foreign service national and personal services contract hires.

cEquipment includes maintenance; motor vehicles; furniture, furnishings, and equipment;

automated data processing equipment; and communication equipment.

dOperations include utilities, supplies, travel, transportation, communication, other contractual

support, and miscellaneous costs.

eSecurity includes equipment for local guards and other security costs.

Defense Intelligence

Agency

Overseas, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) operates the Defense

Attaché System, composed of offices worldwide that perform a number of

activities supporting U.S. military missions. DIA does not station personnel

in every country where the United States has an embassy, but assigns

personnel overseas based on the relative importance of a particular

country to U.S. military activities. The Office of the Defense Attaché

reports on foreign military activities to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a

related capacity, the Office provides information on military activities and

acts as a military adviser to the Chief of Mission at each embassy. In those

Page 55 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

countries where no Security Assistance Organization personnel are

assigned, the Office of the Defense Attaché administers U.S. military

assistance programs.

In fiscal year 1994, the Defense Attaché System had offices in over 

100 countries worldwide. DIA estimated that in fiscal year 1993, the total

cost of its overseas operations was $41.7 million (excluding personnel

costs funded by individual services). Table II.4 shows a break out of this

total.

Page 56 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Table II.4: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for DIA Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costsa

U.S. direct hiresb $ 2,945.0

Foreign service national direct hires

and personal services contractorsc 4,246.0

Subtotal $ 7,191.0

Other costs

Equipmentd 4,979.0

Foreign affairs administrative support

and other reimbursable costs 10,616.2

Supplies 1,684.0

Travele 275.0

Other contractual support 3,408.0

Leases:

Residentialf

Officeg

9,640.0

81.0

Extraordinary and emergency expenditures 3,874.6

Subtotal $34,557.8

Total overseas costs $41,748.8

Source: DIA, National Military Intelligence Collection Center, Operations and Administrative

Support Office.

aPersonnel costs are comprised of only DIA civilians. However, the administrative support costs

include overhead for both DIA civilians and military officers and enlisted personnel who together

staff the Defense Attaché office.

bIncludes base pay, benefits, and foreign allowances of U.S. direct hires (DIA civilians only).

cIncludes base pay and benefits of foreign service national direct hires and foreign national

personal services contractors.

dEquipment includes equipment maintenance, motor vehicles, furniture/furnishings, and

automated data processing equipment.

eIncludes only DIA civilians. All attaché salaries, permanent change-of-station, and rest and

recuperation costs are paid by the individual service. DIA does not pay moving costs.

f

Represents approximately 300 leases that DIA funds with military construction funds. This cost

includes rental, utilities, and minor maintenance costs. It does not include private leases

negotiated by an individual and paid for through a housing allowance. The individual services pay

the housing allowance.

gDIA has only one office in which the lease cost is paid directly. The remaining offices are paid

through the foreign affairs administrative support system.

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Defense Security

Assistance Agency

Although the Secretary of State has statutory authority for supervising and

directing security assistance programs around the world consistent with

U.S. foreign policy objectives, the Defense Security Assistance Agency

administers and supervises the foreign military sales portion of these

programs overseas. Security Assistance Organizations overseas can have a

variety of titles, including the Office of Defense Cooperation, Military

Advisory Group, Military Liaison Office, U.S. Military Group, and others.

Security Assistance Organizations’ responsibilities include planning,

coordinating, and implementing a wide range of security assistance

programs that include the sale or grant of military goods and services to a

foreign government and foreign military training and education.

In fiscal year 1994, Security Assistance Organizations were in 74 countries

worldwide and staffed with 456 U.S. military personnel, 108 civilian

personnel, and 292 foreign service nationals, for a total workforce of 856.

The Defense Security Assistance Agency estimated that in fiscal year 1993

the total cost of its overseas operations was $40.1 million (excluding

personnel costs funded by individual services). Table II.5 shows a break

out of this total.

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Table II.5: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for Defense Security

Assistance Agency

Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires and

foreign service national direct hiresa

Compensation

Benefits and allowancesb

$ 7,900

4,600

Subtotal $12,500

Other costs

Equipmentc 6,700

Foreign affairs administrative support

and other reimbursable costs 5,400

Supplies 1,200

Travel 2,400

Transportationd 700

Other contractual supporte 6,900

Leasesf 4,200

Representation 100

Subtotal $27,600

Total overseas costs $40,100

Source: Defense Security Assistance Agency, Program Budget Division.

aIncludes only that portion of salaries, benefits, and allowances for American and foreign service

national staff directly paid for by the Security Assistance Office. Each service (i.e., the Army, the

Navy, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps) pays for military personnel salaries, housing

allowances (if government housing is not provided), permanent change-of-station transportation

and travel, rest and recuperation, and other personnel benefits.

bIncludes civilian and foreign service national benefits, dependent education travel, and

dependent education.

cEquipment includes vehicles, communications/utilities, furniture and furnishings, automated data

processing, and other equipment.

dIncludes rest and recuperation and transportation of nonpermanent change-of-station items.

eIncludes equipment maintenance.

f

Break out of residential and office rents is not available.

Drug Enforcement

Administration

The Drug Enforcement Administration enforces U.S. drug diversion and

trafficking laws and regulations. Therefore, it has agents located overseas

to work with local law enforcement agencies in collecting evidence

against and arresting individuals involved in the cultivation, production,

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

smuggling, distribution, and diversion of drugs. In fiscal year 1993, the

Drug Enforcement Administration had agents posted at 72 offices in 

50 countries overseas, at an estimated total cost of $79.4 million. Table II.6

shows a break out of this total.

Table II.6: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for Drug Enforcement

Administration

Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires 

Payroll (salaries and benefits)

Foreign allowancesa

$36,048.9

26,248.7

Subtotal $62,297.6

Other costs

Equipmentb 218.4

Vehicle and aircraft purchases 212.3

Communicationc 46.5

Reimbursable costsd 2,074.3

Field operatione 10,760.6

Permanent change-of-station 2,489.3

Leased space and leasehold improvements 1,255.7

Subtotal $17,057.1

Total overseas costs $79,354.7

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration.

aForeign affairs administrative support reimbursement is included in foreign allowances. Also

included are education, rest and recuperation, cost-of-living, quarters, contract employees

overseas, residential guard service, emergency generators, and representational allowance.

bEquipment includes office furniture and equipment as well as technical investigative equipment.

cCommunication includes voice and data communication charges for line installation and usage,

equipment insurance, telephone system purchases, and data system services.

dReimbursable costs are items that are reimbursable from other agencies or departments.

eCost of field operations includes travel, shipping, utilities, printing, contract services, and

supplies.

Federal Bureau of

Investigation

As an extension of its domestic law enforcement and intelligence mission,

the Federal Bureau of Investigation maintains 21 Legal Attaché offices

overseas. Due to extraterritorial jurisdictional considerations, the Bureau

investigates criminal cases overseas in cooperation with host country law

enforcement officials. Working with the Department of State, the Bureau

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Overseas Costs

establishes the relationships necessary to ensure that U.S. evidentiary

standards and collection techniques are followed to facilitate prosecution

of criminal cases in U.S. courts. The Bureau estimated that in fiscal year

1993, the total cost of its overseas operations was $13.3 million. Table II.7

shows a break out of this total.

Table II.7: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for Federal Bureau of

Investigation

Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hiresa $ 9,063.5

Subtotal $ 9,063.5

Other costs

Equipment maintenance 38.7

Foreign affairs administrative supportb 779.7

Supplies 47.7

Shipment of property 437.7

Travel 801.8

Leases: Residential and officec 2,104.7

Representation 13.6

Subtotal $ 4,223.9

Total overseas costs $13,287.4

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Finance Division.

aIncludes compensation, benefits, and allowances (i.e., post differential, danger pay, education

allowance, and housing allowance).

bThis figure is an estimate based on fiscal year 1992 foreign affairs administrative support costs.

cThe Federal Bureau of Investigation could not provide a break out of residential and office

leasing costs.

FAS The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FAS operates worldwide at over 70

posts, including Agricultural Trade Offices, covering about 130 countries.

A staff of about 115 U.S. direct hires and 147 foreign service nationals

carry out activities to help expand foreign markets for U.S. agricultural

commodities. FAS estimated that in fiscal year 1993 the total cost of its

overseas operations was $39.4 million. Table II.8 shows a break out of this

total.

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Table II.8: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for FAS Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires and

personal services contractors $12,084.0

Foreign service national direct hires 8,369.1

Subtotal $20,453.1

Other costs

Travel - assignment/home leave 362.0

Transportation of personal effects 650.9

Post travel 932.5

Office rents/utilities 8,486.6

Representation 93.0

Equipment 454.9

Training 107.6

Miscellaneous 1,955.3

Foreign affairs administrative support 5,869.8

Subtotal $18,912.6

Total overseas costs $39,365.7

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, FAS, Budget and Finance Division.

Immigration and

Naturalization Service

The Immigration and Naturalization Service carries out U.S. immigration

policy and presents policy and operational concerns to foreign

governments, international organizations, private voluntary organizations,

and U.S. and foreign air and sea carriers. It has 22 offices overseas, staffed

with 91 officers, to

• enforce overseas deterrence of alien smuggling and fraudulent document

detection and train U.S. and foreign carriers on the detection of fraudulent

documents;

• interview refugee applicants and make determinations (the Service has full

authority for approval and denial of applications processed outside the

United States);

• conduct investigations for visa petitions and waivers;

• collect intelligence on illegal alien smuggling pipelines;

• provide technical assistance to consular officers of the U.S. and foreign

governments regarding immigration and nationality questions and

concerns; and

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Overseas Costs

• exercise the Attorney General’s parole authority for humanitarian parole

cases.

The Service also provides assistance to U.S. citizens and permanent

residents abroad regarding adoptions, immigration, or parole of alien

spouses and children. It estimated that in fiscal year 1993 the total cost of

its overseas operations was $18.3 million. Table II.9 shows a break out of

this total.

Table II.9: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for Immigration and

Naturalization Service

Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hiresa $ 6,018.6

Subtotal $ 6,018.6

Other costs

Operationsb 8,226.2

Foreign affairs administrative support

and other reimbursable costsc 4,059.4

Subtotal $12,285.6

Total overseas costs $18,304.1

Source: Immigration and Naturalization Service, Foreign Operations.

aIncludes U.S. direct-hire salaries and benefits.

bOperations costs include travel and transportation, rent, printing, other services, supplies and

materials, equipment, grants, and representation.

cIncludes $2 million reimbursed to the Department of State under a memorandum of agreement

for the Moscow office’s operating costs.

USAID USAID administers most of the foreign economic and development

assistance programs of the U.S. government. In fiscal year 1993, it

administered over $7 billion in foreign economic and development

assistance programs worldwide. To carry out its mandate, USAID has about

110 organizations, including field missions, representation offices, country

organizations, and other offices, in 90 countries.8

 It estimated that its

overseas operating cost was approximately $372.3 million in fiscal year

1993.

8

USAID plans on closing 21 missions between fiscal years 1994 and 1996.

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

The USAID budget office estimated that, in fiscal year 1993, the average cost

per agency U.S. direct-hire employee overseas was $352,000—or roughly

three times the $109,000 average cost for a Washington-based employee.

These estimates are based on the USAID’s total overseas operating costs.

For an overseas employee, costs include salaries, benefits, allowances,

and all other costs shown in table II.10. For a Washington-based employee,

the estimate is based on personnel salaries and benefits, operating costs of

offices and bureaus, general support, information resource management

support, and other costs.

Table II.10: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for USAID Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires

Salaries and benefits

Allowancesa

$106,294.5

25,526.4

Foreign service national direct hiresb 18,758.2

Contract personnelc 69,369.2

Subtotal $219,948.3

Other costs

Housing 32,253.1

Foreign affairs administrative support 14,053.3

Overseas automated data processing maintenance 2,122.1

Overseas real property trust fund 2,602.0

Overseas schools 1,499.1

Nonexpendable property procurement 36,503.8

Staff training 1,987.1

Office operations 56,672.4

Other paymentsd 4,708.2

Subtotal $152,401.1

Total overseas costs $372,349.4

Source: USAID, Bureau for Management, Office of Budget, Support Budget Division.

aAllowances for U.S. direct-hire personnel include educational allowance, cost-of-living

allowance, post assignment travel, home leave, rest and recuperation, education, and other

travel.

bIncludes basic pay and benefits for foreign service national direct hires.

cIncludes salaries and benefits for U.S. and foreign national personal services contractors.

dThis reflects a number of payments, including mail service, storage of household effects, and

other costs.

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Overseas Costs

US&FCS US&FCS has approximately 180 U.S. commercial officers in about 

70 countries to promote and protect U.S. business interests abroad. To

increase the number of U.S. firms involved in international trade, US&FCS

provides export counseling, export assistance, and on-the-spot trade

facilitation and market information. US&FCS acts as a catalyst in the export

process for the U.S. business community, especially smaller firms that

cannot afford to maintain representatives in every potential market.

Overseas, US&FCS provides government-to-government representation and

advocacy for U.S. firms vying for contracts. District offices in the United

States work with overseas posts to obtain specialized information, clarify

foreign regulations, request competitive assessments, or facilitate visits by

U.S. business representatives.

In fiscal year 1993, the overseas operating cost for US&FCS totaled

approximately $67 million. According to records provided by the US&FCS

Planning and Resource Management Staff, it costs about $365,100 to

support an American commercial officer overseas. This estimate is based

on the total overseas operating cost of US&FCS shown in table II.11.

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

Table II.11: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for US&FCS Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hires $17,412.4

Foreign service national direct hires 24,334.2

Subtotal $41,746.6

Other costs

Office and residential leases 6,826.9

Office and residential utilities 738.7

Communications 929.1

Program travel 622.2

Administrative travel 151.7

Representation 161.7

Supplies 840.1

Maintenance and repairs 152.0

Motor vehicles 342.1

Furniture and equipment 2,030.8

Automated data processing equipment 107.2

Other contracts 1,867.4

Other costs 588.2

Foreign affairs administrative support 9,941.6

Subtotal $25,299.7

Total overseas costs $67,046.3

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, US&FCS, Office of International Operations, Planning and

Resource Management Staff.

USIA As the public diplomacy arm responsible for communicating information

about American culture and policy, USIA is represented at over 200

overseas posts in about 140 countries. Over 800 U.S. direct hires

disseminate information abroad about the United States, its people,

culture, and policies and conduct educational and cultural exchanges

between the United States and other countries. In fiscal year 1993, USIA’s

overseas operating costs totaled approximately $326.1 million. (See 

table II.12.)

A recent analysis of the agency’s overseas costs showed that, in 1992, the

average cost for a USIA American employee overseas was $135,900

annually, once a position had been established. This estimate takes into

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Appendix II 

Overseas Costs

account compensation, benefits, and allowances; leases, utilities, and

furnishings; medical costs; representation; and home lease/assignment and

emergency travel. It does not include office space and equipment,

administrative support, and training. The average cost in the first year for

adding an American position to an overseas post was estimated at

$184,000, including transfer and temporary housing allowances, as well as

furniture and equipment costs.

Table II.12: Overseas Costs in Fiscal

Year 1993 for USIA Dollars in thousands

Description Amount

Personnel costs

U.S. direct hiresa $ 74,139

Foreign service national direct hiresb 87,118

Personal services contractorsc 6,026

Subtotal $167,283

Other costs

Operating costsd 129,986

Foreign affairs administrative support 28,905

Subtotal $158,891

Total overseas costs $326,174

Source: USIA, Bureau of Management, Office of the Comptroller.

aIncludes personnel compensation, benefits, and allowances for American staff.

bIncludes personnel compensation and benefits for foreign service nationals.

cA break out of the costs for U.S. and foreign national personal services contractors is not

available.

dOperating costs include travel and transportation, rent, printing, other services, supplies and

materials, equipment, grants, and representation.

Page 67 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Appendix III 

Major Contributors to This Fact Sheet

National Security and

International Affairs

Division, Washington,

D.C.

John Brummet, Assistant Director

Joy Labez, Evaluator-in-Charge

Suzanne P. Nagy, Adviser

Janine Cantin, Evaluator

Julio Luna, Publishing Adviser

Atlanta Regional

Office

Christopher A. Keisling, Site Senior

Kenneth A. Davis, Evaluator

European Office Cherie M. Starck, Site Senior

Jodi A. McDade, Evaluator

Far East Office Dennis Richards, Site Senior

Lisa P. Gardner, Evaluator

Daniel J. Tikvart, Evaluator

Page 68 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Glossary

For purposes of this fact sheet, selected terms are defined as follows:

Chief of mission The principal officer appointed by the President, by and with the advice

and consent of the Senate, to be in charge of embassies and other

diplomatic missions of the United States within a country. Chiefs of

mission have the title of ambassador or minister. Chargé d’affaires is the

title for a person who is serving as chief of mission in an acting capacity.

Constituent post This term refers to foreign service establishments maintained by the

United States abroad, excluding embassies. Constituent posts include

consulates and consulates general, U.S. missions to multilateral

organizations, liaison offices, embassy branch offices, and interest

sections.

Foreign affairs agencies Foreign affairs agencies are those utilizing the foreign service personnel

system and include the Department of State, USIA, USAID, FAS, and US&FCS.

The Peace Corps is also included.

Foreign service national An employee of any foreign service-related mission, program, or activity of

any U.S. government department or agency overseas who is not a citizen

of the United States. Terms often used to describe foreign service

nationals include local employees, foreign national employees,

host-country nationals, and locally hired personnel. For purposes of this

fact sheet, third country nationals—that is, non-American direct-hire

employees employed by a U.S. government agency in a country where the

employee is not a citizen—are reported as foreign service nationals.

Nonforeign affairs agencies Nonforeign affairs agencies include DOD, the Departments of Justice,

Transportation, Treasury, and subordinate agencies within these

departments; the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce (excluding

FAS and US&FCS, respectively); and other federal agencies.

Post Any foreign service establishment maintained by the United States abroad,

including embassies, consulates and consulates general, U.S. missions to

multilateral organizations, liaison offices, embassy branch offices, and

interest sections.

Page 69 GAO/NSIAD-95-50FS Overseas Presence
Glossary

U.S. direct hires Authorized full-time employees of a U.S. government agency who are

citizens of the United States.

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