US Deputy Secretary of State announces retirement

WASHINGTON: US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has announced her retirement, saying that she will step down and leave government service at the end of June.

Sherman, 73, is the first woman in US history to serve her current role, starting in April 2021, months after President Joe Biden took office. Sherman announced her retirement in an email to State Department employees on Friday morning.

Joining the Foreign Service exactly 30 years ago, Sherman was Under Secretary of State for political affairs in former President Barack Obama's administration, also the first woman to serve in that post, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Deputy Secretary of State is the No. 2 diplomat in the US.