The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

don’t understand the operations of State and many believe they are above the regulations and should be treated like VIPs.” “Many of our 3161 colleagues seem fairly competent, but many are not,” writes an officer serving in Baghdad. “There is a develop- ing community of ‘permanent’ denizens of the Green Zone. Many of these people have never worked in an embassy before, have no clue how one works, and seem- ingly don’t want to learn. Several times I’ve seen cables sent that have received no clearances… Other times I’ve been pulled from pressing assign- ments to take time to ‘mentor’ a well-intentioned 3161 who wants to write a cable but has received no training on how to do so. I really don’t have time to give individual political tradecraft classes. … I won- der what image these 3161s are giving the Foreign Service. They pass themselves off as Foreign Service officers, but they are not. Their poor reputation with our military colleagues rubs off on us.” “There is a class system here,” writes an FSO in Baghdad, “Contractors are making three or four times as much [as we are], asking a lot of their FS colleagues who actually know how the system works. … It is a political minefield as well, given that so many employ- ees are administration appointees.” An officer in a regional embassy office says, “I think there is some resentment about the pay differences between employees and contractors (sometimes more than double the pay). The contractors don’t always dis- play a willingness to do more than the minimum.” This is not a universal view, however. Another officer in the same regional embassy office writes that “On the whole, I do not think this has been a bad thing. Non- FS people bring some useful perspectives and skills. People here pretty much bond together with others in their office. You don’t see the kind of rivalries — at least not in the field — that one gets in Washington (and maybe Baghdad).” One management officer serving in Baghdad says that “What these people lack in Foreign Service expe- rience, they more than make up for in initiative and desire. Most fill positions that have a direct relation to their pri- vate or government service careers. The great shame is the lack of volunteers among Foreign Service personnel who have the 10-15 years’ experience needed to work interagency issues. Junior officers have the desire, but not the experience.” The view from a retired FSO who served in a 3161 position was that “until the FS gets enough sea- soned officers in to do the jobs, others — military, 3161s, contrac- tors — will do what needs to be done. This is not the worst thing in the world that could happen. Many are quite competent and willing to serve.” Do you believe that Iraq service has helped or not helped your career? How? Service in Iraq may give a boost for employees when they come up for review for promotion, but no conclu- sion could be drawn from the input we received on this question. For many people it is too early to tell what Iraq service will do for their career. An office management specialist who recently served in Iraq writes that “I certainly hope it has helped my career! I would hate to think that I served a year in a war zone and did not get proper recognition. I learned a lot and was challenged to perform tasks outside my realm of expertise. I also learned a lot about myself and what stress level I can handle. I’m proud to have served in Iraq. It is an experience that will serve me well through- out my career.” “For a political officer, the Iraq assignment is consid- ered the big leagues,” says an officer serving in Baghdad. “It is a historical time and a hectic one. It hones your craft under the worst conditions.” “It has not helped my career at all,” says a diplomat- ic security agent who left Iraq in 2005. An FSO serv- ing in Baghdad reflects: “In a very small way, I may have made a difference here. I’ve been part of an amazing history. That’s what I wanted in a career. It’s also given me the jolt I needed to begin planning my departure from State. … Iraq has made State irrelevant F O C U S 32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 6 “Policy is being made in some cases by 3161s or contractors with minimal appreciation for larger foreign policy goals.” — An officer in a regional embassy office