The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2022

18 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FSJ: You said in the speech at FSI that you will seek author- ities and policies that allow diplomats to manage risk more effectively and smartly. Can you tell us more about this new risk management platform and how it will be implemented? Secretary Blinken: My first responsibility is to ensure the safety of our people and their families in the field. From the COVID-19 pandemic to anomalous health incidents, the risks fac- ing U.S. diplomats overseas are as significant and complex as ever. But we must find ways to address these threats and risks without losing the in-person diplomacy and public engagement that are at the core of our profession. That’s a message I’ve heard loud and clear from every part of our workforce, everywhere I’ve traveled, including at our highest-risk posts. Over the last 20 years, we’ve moved many U.S. embassies, consulates and American Centers out of city centers and into more hardened facilities where they’re less accessible to the people they were created to reach. In some cases, there were good reasons for those moves. But there have also been some unintended consequences. It’s become immensely difficult to open new posts, even in low-threat environments; and it’s harder than it should be to adjust our presence to respond to crises and opportunities. Last year, China surpassed the United States in total number of diplomatic and consular posts. We make it harder to outcompete China when we are so hindered in how and where we can operate. We’ve got to fix that. As our diplomats know, a world of zero risk is not a world in which we can deliver for the American people. We have to accept risk and manage it smartly. One way to do that is by working with Congress to update the legislation that governs our physical security requirements overseas and reforming the Accountabil- ity Review Board process. Here, too, there is bipartisan support to update our mindset and operations, focusing more on lessons learned and less on individual culpability when it comes to security incidents. So I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to make some com- monsense changes that will strengthen our diplomacy while continuing to keep our people safe. FSJ: We applaud your efforts to solicit more input, includ- ing dissenting views, from employees. Howwill input to the new Policy Ideas Channel and the revitalized Dissent Channel be utilized, and howwill it be coordinated with the relevant bureaus and employees? Does the input feed into internal policy deliberation or is it outside that process? Secretary Blinken: All of us want to work in an institution that welcomes creative ideas regardless of where they come from, and where constructive dissent is valued. Research shows that teams are stronger, smarter and more innovative when they draw on the widest range of ideas and expertise, and involve those from differ- ent backgrounds and generational perspectives. I’ve seen this to be true everywhere I’ve worked—inside and outside government. That’s why I called for the creation of the Policy Ideas Chan- nel. Its goal is to ensure new and different perspectives can be heard and considered, to break down silos, and to build institu- tional knowledge and collaboration. The channel was designed with an express focus on promoting transparency, consultation and strengthening the policy process, not circumventing it. My Policy Planning Staff reviews submissions and raises them to the attention of senior leadership. We don’t want to just identify good ideas, but act on them. I’ve focused on revitalizing the Dissent Channel because I believe to my core that dissent must be welcomed and heard. It’s patriotic, and it makes our institution stronger. I personally review each dissent and reply and share themwith Deputy Secretaries Sherman and McKeon and Under Secretary Nuland. I’ve received more than a dozen to date, and they’ve led to specific, concrete and meaningful policy changes. FSJ : As you know, success in diversity and inclusion is not just about recruitment but about retaining and developing employees after hiring. What do you see as the primary barrier to success, and how do you plan to overcome it? Secretary Blinken: Our country’s diversity is a huge competi- tive advantage. We're operating in a diverse world. When we fully leverage everyone and everything our nation has to offer, our foreign policy is stronger, smarter and more creative. And yet, the State Department has consistently failed to leverage this strength, especially at senior levels. We must do better. Under the leadership of Ambassador Gina Abercrombie- Winstanley, the department’s first stand-alone chief diversity and inclusion officer, we’ve taken a number of steps to identify where the barriers are and what factors may drive attrition among under- represented groups. Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley and her team have launched a working group specifically focused on data, because we need a more precise sense of the challenge and a better way to track progress and hold ourselves accountable. We’ve just released a preliminary strategic plan for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) that is open for input from throughout the department. Local staff, family members, contractors and members of the Civil Service and Foreign Service can all provide feedback that will be incorporated into the final strategy over the next fewmonths. That strategy will identify