The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2023

36 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL expressed to Congress, “If government employees owe their jobs more to personal or political allegiance rather than merit, they will be more beholden to the party in power instead of the law of the land.” Further, the agency boasts very few FSOs in its most senior Washington positions, dampening the FS field perspective and contributions both inside the agency and in the interagency (see AFSA’s tracker of senior appointments, which also highlights USAID’s current paucity of career FSOs in senior USAID HQ roles). In contrast, both State’s under secretary for management and Director General of the Foreign Service/Director of Global Talent are career FSOs; presumably, State leadership believes a foreign affairs agency benefits by having nonpartisan, career FSOs leading management and human capital operations. Shoots of Hope and Seeds of Change This administration and current agency leadership certainly did not create all of these challenges, most of which require long-term solutions—structural, budgetary, policy-based, operational, and cultural. And while I am appreciative of the dialogue and engagement with agency counterparts at all levels, I remain highly concerned that USAID leadership refuses to actively and openly embrace and act on the president’s clear mandate vis-à-vis unions and career public servants: To rebuild. To empower. To protect. Yes, this will be difficult, but since when did USAID shy away from difficult? For 50 years, AFSA has defended our members and advo- cated for a strong, nonpartisan career Foreign Service, always seeking opportunities for collaboration while never shirking our duty. And now, AFSA and the agency have a unique and unprec- edented opportunity to collaborate, breaking from a past that prompted the OIG May 2022 audit: “For nearly 30 years, USAID has worked to improve the efficiency and efficacy of its strategic workforce planning, yet despite these attempts, human capital management has remained one of the Agency’s top challenges.” I am ever hopeful that similar words will not open the OIG’s 2030 report. And I am ever confident that if they do, AFSA will be there to help defend its members. Thank you for your service. n