Talk:Foreign service

Actually, the preferred term is "Diplomatic Service". In the United States the term "Foreign Service" or "FS" refers to a personnel system within the Civil Service, created for positions that require service abroad. This personnel system is used by several foreign affairs agencies, including the Department of State, Department of Commerce, AID, and the Department of Agriculture.

Members of the U.S. Diplomatic Service may also be members of the FS personnel system, but this is not a requirement. Diplomats serve at home and abroad, thus there is no distinction betwee "foreign" and "domestic" services in the United States.

In the United States, the Civil Service consists of the Competitive Service and the Excepted Service. This is defined in USC Title 5. The FS is part of the Excepted Service. Therefore, all members of the FS are also part of the Civil Service.

merge with Diplomatic service ...

...and decide which should be the main entry and which the redirect. Based on comments here, should be at Diplomatic service. I'll wait a bit and then move it. Quill 06:12, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)