Vintage US Department of State 10 Years of Service Enamel Pin

Description

Vintage US Department of State 10 Years of Service Enamel Pin.
Belonged to a former diplomat and WWII veteran from Chattanooga, TN, who was awarded it in 1952. Measures 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. In good condition.
The
United States Department of State
(
DOS
),
or
State Department
,
is an
executive department
of the
U.S. federal government
responsible for the nation's
foreign policy
and
international relations
. Equivalent to the
ministry of foreign affairs
of other nations, its primary duties are advising the
U.S. president
, administering
diplomatic missions
, negotiating international treaties and agreements, and representing the U.S. at the
United Nations
.
The department is headquartered in the
Harry S Truman Building
, a few blocks from the
White House
, in the
Foggy Bottom
neighborhood of
Washington, D.C.
; "Foggy Bottom" is thus sometimes used as a
metonym
.
Established in 1789 as the first administrative arm of the
U.S. executive branch
, the State Department is considered among the most powerful and prestigious executive agencies.
It is led by the
secretary of state
, a member of the
Cabinet
who is nominated by the president and
confirmed
by the
Senate
. Analogous to a
foreign minister
, the secretary of state serves as the federal government's chief diplomat and representative abroad, and is the first Cabinet official in the
order of precedence
and in the
presidential line of succession
. The position is currently held by
Antony Blinken
who was appointed by President
Joe Biden
and confirmed by the
Senate
on January 26, 2021 by a vote of 78–22.
As of 2019, the State Department maintains 273 diplomatic posts worldwide, second only to China's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
.
It also manages the
US Foreign Service
, provides
diplomatic training
to US officials and military personnel, exercises partial jurisdiction over
immigration
, and provides various services to Americans, such as issuing
passports
and
visas
, posting foreign travel advisories, and advancing commercial ties abroad. The department administers the oldest US civilian intelligence agency, the
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
, and maintains a
law enforcement arm
, the
Diplomatic Security Service
. [wikipedia]