Crossword Genius

State officers originally provide crew (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

oman

'state' is the definition.
(Oman is a country)

'officers originally provide crew' is the wordplay.
'originally' indicates taking the first letters.
'provide crew' becomes 'man' (as in manning a ship).
The first letter of 'officers' is 'o'.
'o'+'man'='OMAN'

(Other definitions for oman that I've seen before include "Middle Eastern country" , "Land" , "Arab country" , "Sultanate on the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula" , "Gulf sultanate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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