SECRETARY ANTONY BLINKEN: So, here at the State Department,
diplomacy is a 24-7 job,
and one office in particular takes that to heart,
that’s the Operations Center.
So, let’s see what that’s all about.
[TEXT: Walks with Tony]
Joy.
JOY KING: Hello, sir.
BLINKEN: Good to see you.
KING: Pleasure to meet you.
Welcome to the Operations Center.
BLINKEN: Thanks for having us here.
I want to really show people what the Operations Center is all about.
KING: Absolutely.
My name is Joy King and I’m a Watch Officer here in the Operations Center.
We are separated into two different sections.
First, there’s the Watch, which is a 24-hour communication hub.
The second is the Crisis Management and Strategy Office, known as CMS.
CMS and the Watch work together to evaluate, prepare for, and react to crises around the world.
BLINKEN: One of the things I get asked a lot is, “What’s a typical day like?”
It sounds like there’s no such thing as a typical day here.
KING: There is no such thing as a typical day,
but one thing that would be considered a standard call is
if one of our State Department leaders, such as yourself,
is calling in requesting to be connected with a foreign interlocutor overseas.
BLINKEN: Well, what’s amazing is you can find someone
no matter where they are in the world and somehow get them on the line.
KING: We do know how to track people down.
Information and communication are the heart of diplomacy,
and the Operations Center allows that to happen smoothly.
We facilitate conversations that really determine how the U.S. presents itself abroad
keeping our U.S. citizens safe.
BLINKEN: And that’s so important, because our number one responsibility is to make sure that
if Americans need help anywhere in the world, we’re providing it.
KING: Absolutely.
BLINKEN: So, Joy, I’m usually on one end of these calls, and
it seems like a little miracle each time to get connected no matter where it is in the world,
but I wanted to sort of be on the other side and see how it actually works from here.
Can we take a look at that?
KING: Absolutely, sir, let’s go in and take a look.
The floor is one of the most fast-paced and exciting places I’ve ever been.
You always feel a wave of energy when you step onto the floor because
we are talking to each other very loudly, sometimes shouting at each other,
but just to make sure that everyone can hear the information,
that everyone is briefed and up to date and that everyone is able to respond and react.
So, this is the Watch floor and each of these desks here have a very specific function.
The first chair is the Watch Officer chair.
This person is the conductor of the floor.
They often direct a call to any of the other chairs.
The next chair is the Emergency Action Officer.
This person focuses exclusively on emergency situations abroad,
and they also are our closest contact with our Crisis Management Strategy officers.
They do the more detail-oriented work to support crises in any area that they may occur abroad.
Sir, how would you like to give it a try?
BLINKEN: I mean, I’m a little intimidated, but I’m happy to try to give it a try, yeah.
KING: Well, here is your headset. You can go ahead and put that on.
BLINKEN: All right.
Let’s see.
All right, now I’m suited up, right?
O.K.
KING: Excellent.
So, when a call comes in we hear a little chirp sound,
and that’s alerting us to let us know that we’ve got a call coming in.
BLINKEN: O.K.
KING: We answer the phone by saying, “State Ops, this is ...” and your name.
So I would answer, “State Ops, this is Joy,” and you would answer ...
BLINKEN: “State Ops, this is Tony.”
KING: Perfect.
BLINKEN: All right.
KING: Are you ready?
BLINKEN: Yeah, we’ll try.
KING: O.K.
BLINKEN: Got it.
State Ops, this is Tony.
KING: Perfect.
BLINKEN: How may I direct your call?
MADELINE BRANCH, HEARD THROUGH HEADSET: “Hi, this is Madeline Branch calling for Director Holmes.”
BLINKEN: All right.
KING: O.K.
BLINKEN: It’s going to Director Holmes.
KING: Excellent.
So, we’ve got a call: Madeline Branch for Director Holmes.
Kyle, can you take the call?
KYLE: In SPB.
Going Director Holmes.
KING: So Kyle right now is going to connect to Director Holmes,
BLINKEN: Yeah, O.K.
KING: and we’ll have a completed patch.
KYLE: Hi, this is Kyle with State Ops,
is this Director Holmes?
I have Madeline on the line for you.
One moment as I connect the call.
BLINKEN: Let’s see if it works.
KYLE: Colleagues, you are now connected, State Ops will drop.
KING: And there we have it!
BLINKEN: Amazing!
KING: Feel free to join us at any time if you want to step onto the floor, you’re a professional now.
BLINKEN: Thank you.
The line I really wanted to use is,
“Thank you for your patience while we connect your call.”
KING: That is also a common line of ours.
The job is extremely exciting.
We work 12-hour shifts,
but I can honestly say twelve hours has never gone quicker.
It does fly by because there’s so much happening, there’s so much movement,
and it definitely keeps you on your toes.
[TEXT: state.gov U.S. Department of State]