The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2017 17 No civilian commands troops, planes or ships. The U.S. military used to sell com- missions, until familiarity with warfare was recognized as a better qualification than money. Generals do not command aircraft carriers; admirals never lead infantry divisions. COMs only need a good deputy chief of mission and staff to do an effective job. Blatant sophistry. If anything, this argument describes a figurehead ambas- sador, whose most meaningful contribu- tion would be to do as instructed and stay out of the way. If it were true, any- one could be given a title like “Performer of Open Heart Surgery.” Good deputy: “OK, now you can snip off the little ... No! Not that!” There have been some excellent political ambassadors. True, but this underlines the fundamental problem: nominees are not chosen on the basis of qualifications or anticipated perfor- mance. And even if they occasionally perform well, the accolades should go to their deputy chief of mission and staff. The usual result is the installation of non-performers, at best, and genuine embarrassments at worst. The Smart Money Is on Career Professionals America has at least some interests in every country in the world. Maintenance and advancement of those interests requires the presence of diplomatic professionals. No law of nature automatically makes career ambassadors more capable than novices, but they know the business, have been tested and proven deserving of increased responsibility. A politi- cal appointee may possess numerous commendable and meaningful skills, but those often have little to do with the specialized work of an ambassador, both in terms of managing the embassy or conducting outreach in the host country. The smart bet would be to stop plac- ing responsibility for managing our day- to-day bilateral relations in the hands of neophytes. Instead, presidents should turn to the men and women of the Foreign Service, who are ready, willing and able to represent America across the globe, to carry out that function. n