Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns to Retire in October - East Idaho News
News

Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns to Retire in October

  Published at

DeptOfState 041214 BillBurns?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1397335395026US Department of State(WASHINGTON) — Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns announced on Friday that he will retire in October, more than 30 years after he entered the Foreign Service.

Burns joined the Department of State in 1982 and served under 10 different Secretaries of State. He holds the highest rank in the Foreign Service, career ambassador, and was named deputy secretary of state to Hillary Clinton in 2011.

Current Secretary of State John Kerry called Burr “the real deal” in a statement on Friday, praising his “rare mix of strategic vision and operational skill.” During his time with the Department of State, Burns served as ambassador to Jordan and Russia, undersecretary for political affairs and assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, among other jobs.

“Whenever I am thinking about future generations of Foreign Service officers,” Kerry said, “I tell people we need to build a system that builds the next Bill Burns.”

President Obama called Burns “a skilled advisor, consummate diplomat and inspiration to generations of public servants,” on Friday.

Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION