Priorities of the new a administration during the ten minute address. My honor to welcome back the department of state our new secretary of state tony bliken, secretary blinking is a familiar face in these halls having served previously first in the bureau of european and Canadian Affairs and deputy secretary of state, he is as we say in the department well and favorably known to the department of state and are career professionals, we are excited to have him as our new secretary of state. This is an unusual event, normally this room would be packed with thousands of cheering state Department Employees i assure you we had to take extraordinary measures to keep them away at this time but do not let that deceive you in any way there is enormous enthusiasm on part of the h carr professionals who have known and worked with secretary lincoln, he is a man of honor and integrity, vision and character and he will lead this department in advance the interest of the American People with great vigor and great passion. So on behalf of the career professionals of the department of state, Foreign Service, civil service, or locally employed staff around the world it is my great honor and play bridge to present the 71st secretary of statery anthony blinking. They keep thatse warm welcome ad more portly. For serving as acting secretary of state for leaving the transition here at the state department. The department has been an excellent hands with you and i thank you very much for that. I am honored to begin work as a nation 71st secretary of state. I am excited about all the lives ahead, its a new day for america, its a new day for the world today does feel like a homecoming, 28 years ago i walked through the doors for the first time to start my job as a special assistant and that you are front office, little odd, a little bit intimidated by a legendary institution and a new culture. It did not take me long to figure out one thing. That is how much the talent and expertise that reside from this building is so important and so important to listen to the men and women of the state department when they get about americas place in the world and our Foreign Policy. Your knowledge, your experience, your generosity was the springboard that brought me and landed me here today. Two decades later as a proud husband i watched my wife leave the bureau of educational and Cultural Affairs and i gained a deeper appreciation for how people have exchanges bring our world closer together and convey the best of america to the world especially to a young people. As deputy secretary state i know whatat its like to lead an institution as vital as this one, how to safeguard what makea a great, invest in its future and leave it just a little bit stronger than when you found it. I take that work very seriously. As secretary i will not let you down. To all the state Department Personnel worldwide and the women of u. S. 80 whose work is a bullfight america at its best i wantic you to know how proud i m of every single one of you and how proud i am to be on your team, whether your diplomats or development workers, members of the Foreign Service or the civil service, locally employed staff, contractors, you do hard things very, very well. These jobs demand sacrifice. They can be dangerous, the names engraved on the walls in our lobby remind us of that every single day. We honor them by coming to work every day and doing our absolute best for the American People and for each other. I know the state department thas i am walking into today is not the same one that i left four years ago. A lot has changed, the world has changed, the department has changed and we need to only look around to see that. I am speaking as dan said to a nearly empty lobby, the people who are here are all wearing masks. To date the pandemic has claimed the lives of five state Department American employees and 42 locally employed staff around the world. Many more have gotten sick. And outside of our doors are government buildings are surrounded by new barricades. We have never been in a moment quite like this before, the president is committed to getting us through this as quickly as possible so that very soon we can all gather in person again and have confidence at the foundation of our democracy areo strong. We at the state have a role to play and all of this. I believe it starts with rebuilding morale and trust. This is a priority for me because we need a Strong Department for the United States to be strong in the world, to that end we have to invest significantly in building a diverse and inclusive state department, we need the most talented people in the most creative workforce, we cannot do our job of advancing americas interest, values and democracy without a state department that is truly representative of the American People. I cannot promise you will support every choice i make as your secretary but i promise an open door and an open mind. Ill be forthright with you because transparency makes us stronger. I will seek out dissenting views and listen to the experts because that is how the best decisions are made. I will insist that you speak and speak up without fear or favor. And i will have your back. One of the great attributes of our foreign and civil servicesn throughout history has been your nonpartisanship, you serve democratic and republican president s alike because you put country over party. All we ask is that you serve the United States, the constitution and the president to the best of your ability, i know you will do that. The world is watching us intently right now, they want to know if we can heal our nation, they want to see whether we will lead to the power of example, a full put a premium on the plumber see whether allies and partners to meet the great challenges of our time like the pandemic, climate change, economic crisis, threats to democracy, fight for Racial Justice and the danger to our security and global stability posed by arrivals and adversaries. The American People are watching us too. They want to see that were safeguarding theirg wellbeing that we care about their interest, that our Foreign Policy is about them in their lives. By them byright pursuing a Foreign Policy that delivers real benefits to american families, protect their safety, advances or opportunities, honors their values and leave their children andrs grandchildren a healthier and more peaceful world, we have got our work cut out for us but i am confident we will succeed. The United States has ignore msl build upon them. Americas values are noble and powerful and we will be commit to them in americas leadership is needed around the world and we will provide it because the world is far more likely to solve problems and meet challenges when the United States is there. America at its best still has a greater capacity than any other nation on earth to mobilize others for the better. The stateotot department will be sensible to all of this. I know you are ready i am too. We are in the arena together, we do work that matters, so lets meet this moment, our moment with joy. Thank you all for being part of this great endeavor, i am honored to be your secretary, knowledge get to work. Thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [applause] secretary blink and spoke to reporters in the state department about the biden of administration Foreign Policy agenda and announced the Daily Press Briefing with start next week