The
United States Department of State (
DoS), often referred to as the
State Department, is the
United States federal executive department responsible for
international relations of the
United States, equivalent to the
foreign ministries of other countries. The Department was created in 1789 and was the first executive department established.
The Department is headquartered in the
Harry S. Truman Building located at 2201 C Street,
NW, a few blocks from the
White House in the
Foggy Bottom neighborhood of
Washington, D.C. The Department operates the
diplomatic missions of the United States abroad and is responsible for implementing the
foreign policy of the United States and U.S.
diplomacy efforts. The Department is also the depositary for more than 200 multilateral treaties.
The Department is led by the
Secretary of State, who is nominated by the
President and
confirmed by the
Senate and is a member of the
Cabinet. The current Secretary of State is
John Kerry. The Secretary of State is the first Cabinet official in the
order of precedence and in the
presidential line of succession.