State Department cuts hit cyber diplomats doing international engagements

Staff within the State Department’s principal cyber diplomacy bureau were among those impacted by an agency-wide downsizing of around 1,350 positions announced at the end of last week.

The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy lost multiple staffers working in bilateral engagement and communications strategy matters, according to one current and one former U.S. official familiar with the plans and an unofficial tally of agency-wide reduction numbers obtained by Nextgov/FCW.

Liesyl Franz, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Cyberspace Security, was also affected, though details of her status remain unclear. Franz was handed an official termination notice, according to the current U.S. official and a second person familiar with the matter. But the former U.S. official says she was put on administrative leave.

Read more at NextGov/FCW