The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 23 are] political appointees. Our view is that the Foreign and Civil Service should be 90 percent of the ambas- sadors of the United States of America. As we have test-marketed this, we’ve been called lots of names. Both political parties are invested in this. It’s going to be the hardest recommendation to accomplish. We’re the only country in the world that has this system. To make it easier for our political masters in both parties, we said: “Look, you can achieve these targets by 2025—over the next five years.” We thought that might make it a little bit easier. It didn’t really increase the welcome that we received on this! We’re going to fight for this. We think this is really important. ACTION #10—FIND NEW SPIRIT IN A NEW NAME Ambassador Marcie Ries: We did quiz people on this one, and, actually, even we were surprised at how widespread the feel- ing was that it was really a great idea. The term “Foreign Service” comes from the 19th century. And when we started thinking about it and talking to people in the business world, when you want to make very significant changes in an organization, they advise that changing the name is very important, because it signals major transformation. We came to the “United States Diplomatic Service,” because that puts the United States first; it tells what we’re about, the prac- tice of diplomacy; and the third word is “Service,” which certainly describes what we do. Q&A OPENING THE FS ACT AFSA President Eric Rubin: Let’s turn to some questions. One set of issues that has been raised by our members is: What is the risk in reopening the Foreign Service Act of 1980? Would you lose substantive structural elements of the Foreign Service that you want to preserve? Ambassador Marc Grossman: In our recommendation was a long list of the things that we would keep from the 1980 Act. And in there are fully funded pensions. We’re trying to preserve what it is that is most important. It [also] says to keep AFSA as the primary labor management bargaining agent of people in the Foreign Service. If AFSA retains its very important role, and among the reasons I paid dues all my life was to have it be that way, that is an important protection for people. Is this going to be a big debate? Yes, it will be. But the defense of it then needs to come way to the top of the agenda, because I just don’t think sitting back and saying, “We’re not going to change anything because I want my 20 years” [is acceptable]. We have to change the terms of the arguments here, so that we get up and start speak- ing up for ourselves. ENGAGING CONGRESS AFSA President Eric Rubin: Another set of questions we had was over how Congress would fit into this picture. Do you see a strategy to get a large number of members of both houses engaged on this? Ambassador Nicholas Burns: We do. One way to think about these 10 recommendations is in the short term. Even in the transi- tion or the first three months of a Biden administration, there are things the new president can do. He can raise the budget, which he needs to do. He can appoint a greater number of Foreign Ser- vice officers to senior positions. He can appoint a greater number of African American and Latino officers and women to senior positions. He can put State back into the center of the policy pro- cess at the National Security Council. MIDLEVEL ENTRY AFSA President Eric Rubin: We have a bunch of questions about the proposals for midlevel lateral entry. Here is a good one: “On one hand, the report argues for U.S. Diplomatic Service, but then seems to concentrate on subject matter expertise in many fields—including from a possible midlevel program as well as a diplomatic reserve—but not explicitly about diplomacy. It’s much easier to find expertise in technical fields than to develop diplo- mats and leaders. It seems that our pressing shortage and critical need is in diplomatic, not technical skills.” Where is that balance between skills as diplomats and technical skills? Ambassador Marcie Ries: When we say diplomacy, we mean a very broad area of activities. We mean not just the person who goes to see the prime minister to talk about foreign policy issues. We mean our consular officers who are our front door, and who are the ones who are conveying the impression of America and who are helping to protect our country. We mean the manage- ment officers who negotiate virtually every day, negotiation being a core diplomatic skill, and without whose activities these other sorts of foreign policy activities wouldn’t be able to happen. We certainly mean public diplomacy, because today, diplomacy is not just talking to the government. There are pieces of diplomacy today that actually require also some very specific skills.