Rex Tillerson says 'diplomacy is not that simple' as State Department looks set to close year with no victories

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said "diplomacy is not that simple" as the State Department begins to close out 2017 with no victories.

The department doesn't have any "wins to put on the board" after the first year of the Trump administration, Mr Tillerson admitted to the US diplomatic corps at a town hall meeting.

Employee morale has been low over the past year amid widespread concerns about his planned overhaul of the State Department. Several top department posts and ambassadorships also continue to remain vacant. Dozens of countries do not currently have a Senate-confirmed US ambassador in place, including key allies such as South Korea, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tillerson said that when he started as America's top diplomat, he didn't know anyone at the State Department or how it gets its work done. He had to spend time learning about the agency, he said, and focused on increasing productivity and empowering employees.

Mr Tillerson said workers offered suggestions for overhauling the department, its structure and technology. The next step is implementing those changes, he added.

The State Department is never short on foreign policy challenges, with conflicts regarding Russia, North Korea and the Middle East tending to dominate newspaper headlines. But since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has indicated a preference for solving issues with military might rather than diplomacy.

Earlier this year, the President proposed an increase in defence spending while also suggesting a slash in the State Department's funds.

Tensions between the US and North Korea in particular dramatically intensified after Mr Trump assumed the presidency, with Kim Jong-un continuing to develop his regime's nuclear weapons programme in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

But rather than stressing that the US should try to solve the issue using diplomacy - like his other administration officials have done - Mr Trump instead has made belligerent threats. The President has said Mr Tillerson is “wasting his time” by trying to fix the crisis through diplomatic talks.

Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson are also reported to have been at odds over a slew of other major issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and a regional crisis in Qatar. Most recently, the pair is said to have diverged on the decision to designate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy to the holy city - an announcement that sparked violence and protests in the Middle East.

Mr Tillerson is said to have opposed Mr Trump's twin move out of national security concerns, and the State Department issued safety notices for its staff in several countries around the region.

There is also still question over how long Mr Tillerson will last as the US's top diplomat. The New York Times reported last month that Mr Trump was set to replace the former Exxon executive with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Earlier this year, it was said that Vice President Mike Pence had to persuade the top diplomat to stay with the administration after Mr Tillerson was reportedly unhappy with comments Mr Trump made in a speech to the Boy Scouts of America. But in October, the State Department organised an impromptu press briefing in which the Secretary of State denied reports that he wanted to resign.

Mr Tillerson said he would stay in the Trump administration as “long as he is useful”. Meanwhile, critics have condemned the way he has led the State Department amid reports that Mr Trump has also been unsatisfied with Mr Tillerson's leadership.

Meanwhile, the top diplomat is said to have called Mr Trump a “moron” – a report that Mr Tillerson sought to play down. A department spokesperson later said that the “the Secretary does not use that type of language”.