Pressure's on for Trump to make diplomats safer

WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump hammered rival Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign for failing to prevent the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, when she was secretary of state. Soon he'll be the one responsible for protecting America's diplomats, but he's offered little insight into how he'll do that.

After the 2012 Benghazi attack, Congress boosted spending on security to protect the tens of thousands of Americans and foreign staff that make up the U.S. diplomatic service. Security experts and career diplomats said there have been improvements, but significant shortfalls remain.

Last week's assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, was a reminder diplomats increasingly are exposed to threats, even in countries that typically are not regarded as hardship posts. The assassin shouted, "Don't forget Aleppo," apparently referring to Russia's military engagement in Syria.

It's not clear whether having the brashly outspoken Trump in the White House will compound diplomatic security challenges. The foreign policy of Trump and his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, remains somewhat of an enigma.

The Trump transition team didn't respond to questions about how his administration will address diplomatic security.

Keeping diplomats safe is a costly business. In the last budget year, Congress approved $3.39 billion for the Diplomatic Security Bureau's functions around the world. That accounts for about 7 percent of the State Department's budget.

Diplomatic security has become highly contentious since the killings of ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans at Benghazi.

The Republican-led House Select Committee on Benghazi concluded in June there were lethal mistakes by the Obama administration, though it found no "smoking gun" pointing to wrongdoing by Clinton. The committee included Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., Trump's pick to head the CIA.

Another member of the committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, criticized the Obama administration for refusing to create the position of undersecretary for diplomatic security. He called it the most important change "to enhance diplomatic security." He claimed committee Democrats "stonewalled and played games while we searched for the truth."

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, accused Republicans of losing interest in diplomatic security now the election is over.

"Since the issue is no longer a useful cudgel against Secretary Clinton, I fear the (Republican) majority's commitment to diplomatic security will once again fade, and the State Department could face cuts both to security budgets and to core diplomatic functions," Schiff said.

A 2012 government inquiry following the Benghazi attacks made more than two dozen recommendations for security improvements, highlighting serious lapses in management and leadership that left the consulate vulnerable.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security declined to answer specific questions on the areas where improvement is still needed, but said diplomatic security "constantly balances available resources to provide a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. diplomacy."