The State Department cut LGBT seminars, blindfolded team-building exercises and career events for pet owners from agency onboarding as part of its new Foreign Service recruiting push.
Foreign Service orientation or “A-100” is a six-week orientation for new officers and specialists. The revised curriculum aims to remove undue ideological influence and what some State Department officials saw as “juvenile” exercises.
State Department training under the Biden administration/Courtesy of the United States State Department
One axed activity aimed to foster “leadership and followership,” and “perspective-taking” by throwing things into buckets blindfolded.
“The Trump administration knows that an elite diplomatic service is key to effectively pursuing America’s national interests,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “That’s why the State Department has undertaken broad reforms to Foreign Service recruitment and training programs.”
Numerous A-100 programs instituted under previous administrations have been eliminated by the Trump State Department, including seminars such as “LGBTQIA+ in the Foreign Service Community,” “Considerations for FS Singles,” and “Bidding with Pets in Mind.” Bidding is the internal process whereby Foreign Service Officers apply for their next international or domestic posting.
The new A-100 orientation requires 111 training sessions for prospective officers, a 37% increase from the 81 mandated for January 2025 trainees, State Department officials told the DCNF.
Revamped A-100 sessions include “The Need for Grand Strategy,” “Theories of Foreign Policy,” “America Founding Principles: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers” among others.
“Instead of being forced to endure bureaucratic tedium and ideological content, America’s diplomats will spend more time learning the foundations of foreign policy and developing the critical skills that are required to deliver results for the American people,” Pippot added.
Be the face of America, wherever America needs you.
Join the United States Foreign Service.https://t.co/kFGsjbqzof pic.twitter.com/OGdPJ0AuO0
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 1, 2026
“These modernization efforts include reinstituting a written examination test, testing applicants on American history, and reforming the Foreign Service orientation to include content on diplomatic theory, economic statecraft, and strategic competition,” an April State Department memo noted.
Foreign Service orientation changes come as part of a broader Trump administration “commitment to eliminating radical gender and racial ideologies that poison the minds of Americans.”
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