The Foreign Service Journal, February 2009

First, let me say that I have the ut- most respect for the Department of State, in general, and Foreign Service officers in particular. I interned at the U.S. embassy in Singapore when I was an undergraduate, and it was one of the most rewarding professional expe- riences of my life. I also know how hard it is to be- come an FSO. I once took a Foreign Service Written Exam practice test and did not do well (knowledge about American choreographers is appar- ently a prerequisite for success on the exam). Know Who Runs the Show The most important thing to un- derstand in improving the relationship between PRTs and their uniformed colleagues is that Provincial Recon- struction Team members live and work in a military-dominated environ- ment. Whatever your personal feel- ings are about how State Department employees should be utilized in con- flict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, the reality is that the military runs the show. PRTs are almost totally dependent on the military for security and move- ment to attend meetings outside the forward operating bases. The military also has the easiest access to CERP, probably one of the biggest foreign aid vehicles ever created. And I won’t try to downplay the fact that some mili- tary personnel view civilians as “wee- nies,” as Shawn Dorman reported in her March 2007 Foreign Service Jour- nal article (“Iraq PRTs: Pins on a Map”). The best way to overcome these bi- ases is to quickly establish a profes- sional working relationship with your military counterparts. Toward that end, I urge Foreign Service PRT members, and especially team lead- ers, to conduct an introductory meet- ing with the subordinate commanders in your area as soon as possible when beginning your tour or when a new unit arrives. As a PRT member, you will frequently meet with brigade staff and the brigade commander (a full colonel), but it will be the units on the ground, battalions and companies, that support your daily movements, obtain funds for larger projects and generally facilitate your efforts. So it is important to gain the support of bat- talion and company commanders to help with your mission. When you meet with these officers, explain what you contribute to the mission in your area and what you can bring to the table (or “to the fight” in Pentagon-speak). As FSO Chuck Hunter pointed out in Ms. Dorman’s article, diplomats have much longer- term views of development and suc- cess than the military. If you cannot articulate the PRT’s role in the short term (12 months or less), that com- mander may simply see you as a bur- den, a tasking that takes away from the “real” mission. I would add that, especially for ePRT members, you might also con- sider how your goals can be adjusted to ensure that they are nested with the priorities of the military side of the house. Though we should all be work- ing from the same page, often this isn’t the case. For instance, if a commander feels that solving water problems is the key to bringing stability back to his or her area, I would recommend that you help address that problem even if you feel that something else should be the priority. As Kiki Munshi, a former FSO and PRT leader, has pointed out, “If the military thinks it can do some- thing we believe won’t work or doesn’t think what we want to do is important, we’re up a tree.” I feel that it is better to at least be working toward a goal to- gether than to be “up a tree” and un- able to accomplish anything. Respect Protocol Another key element to under- stand about the military is that, as an organization, it is extremely touchy about protocol. This goes well beyond the saluting and rank usage that I’m sure you are all well aware of, de- scending into an almost tribal struc- ture that can be inscrutable to an outsider. Where you as a PRT member will most likely encounter this is in arrang- ing for transportation to your meetings and site visits. Because Provincial Re- construction Teams exist outside the chain of command of the units that support you, some within the military consider it a professional insult for a PRT to “task” them with a mission such as movement to a meeting. In order to deal with this bias, the team leader must work out the details of this relationship so that the military understands its role and team mem- bers aren’t reduced to “bumming” rides. Team members also need to know how to properly address griev- ances when they feel they aren’t being adequately supported. Failure to clarify this relationship will result in significant friction be- tween military units and the PRT, forcing team members to ask for sup- port outside of proper channels and procedures. Units get tasked to sup- port missions through very specific I have seen firsthand the success that our two organizations can achieve together when our relationship and areas of responsibility are clearly defined. 28 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9