2016 US Code
Title 22 - Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Chapter 52 - Foreign Service
Subchapter V - Classification of Positions and Assignments
Sec. 3982 - Assignments to Foreign Service positions

(1) The Secretary (with the concurrence of the agency concerned) may assign a member of the Service to any position classified under section 3981 of this title in which that member is eligible to serve (other than as chief of mission or ambassador at large), and may assign a member from one such position to another such position as the needs of the Service may require.

(2) In making assignments under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall assure that a member of the Service is not assigned to or prohibited from being assigned to a position at a post in a particular geographic area on the basis of the race, ethnicity, or religion of that member.

Positions designated as Foreign Service positions normally shall be filled by the assignment of members of the Service to those positions. Subject to that limitation—

The President may assign a career member of the Service to serve as charge d'affaires or otherwise as the head of a mission (or as the head of a United States office abroad which is designated under section 3902(a)(3) ¹ of this title by the Secretary of State as diplomatic in nature) for such period as the public interest may require.

The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the heads of the other agencies utilizing the Foreign Service personnel system, shall implement policies and procedures to insure that Foreign Service officers and members of the Senior Foreign Service of all agencies are able to compete for chief of mission positions and have opportunities on an equal basis to compete for assignments outside their areas of specialization.

(Pub. L. 96–465, title I, §502, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2093; Pub. L. 98–164, title I, §130(b), Nov. 22, 1983, 97 Stat. 1027; Pub. L. 114–323, title IV, §414(d), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1933.)

Section 3902(a)(3) of this title, referred to in subsec. (c), was redesignated section 3902(3) of this title pursuant to Pub. L. 98–164, which struck out the designation "(a)" and subsec. (b) of section 3902.

2016—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 114–323 inserted "or prohibited from being assigned to" after "assigned to" and struck out "exclusively" before "on the basis".

1983—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 98–164 added subsec. (d).

Functions of President under subsec. (c) delegated to Secretary of State, see section 1 of Ex. Ord. No. 12293, Feb. 23, 1981, 46 F.R. 13969, set out as a note under section 3901 of this title.

Pub. L. 98–164, title I, §130(c), Nov. 22, 1983, 97 Stat. 1028, directed Secretary of State, not later than one year after Nov. 22, 1983, to submit a report to Speaker of House of Representatives and chairman of Committee on Foreign Relations of Senate describing policies and procedures adopted pursuant to the amendment made by section 130(b) of Pub. L. 98–164, adding subsec. (d) of this section, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–236, title I, §139(10), Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 398.

¹ See References in Text note below.