What the US Department of State Does

What the U.S. Department of State does might not be your business, but it still affects your everyday life.

The Job of Defense

You know your crazy uncle who’s always talking about Big Brother looking at you? Well, the U.S. Department of State is that Big Brother. This branch of the government has been tasked with making sure that every U.S. citizen, both home and abroad, is fully protected and is kept safe from others who wish them harm. That’s a pretty big task. And it’s one that every your crazy uncle would admit is necessary.

The current listed tasks for the U.S. Department of State include:

  • Assisting U.S. businesses in the international marketplace
  • Coordinating and supporting international activities of other U.S. agencies
  • The Secretary of State makes official visits overseas and at home
  • Diplomatic dealings with other countries
  • Creation of national and international regulations.
  • Informing the public about U.S. foreign policy and relations.
  • Providing feedback from the public about international affairs to administration officials.
  • Providing automobile registrations for diplomats, proving immunity to those who hold it at the present time.

While these tasks sort of sound boring, and nothing like the excitement of 24, these are crucial activities which need to be monitored, with the Secretary of State being in charge. (That’s Hillary right now, if you don’t remember.)

Watching Your Back

When the U.S. Department of State is working, it is simply doing all that it can to protect the citizens of the U.S., but it is also working in conjunction with the Department of Defense to ensure that everyone is safe whether there is a war or not. With the proper defense trade controls in place, the country can feel safe and those who want to do business in the defense market are also protected.

So, the U.S. Department of State might not be as glitzy as it looks like on TV, but it is certainly effective in terms of trying to create and to support relationships between countries, no matter how bad the blood between them.