The Foreign Service Journal, March 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2015 55 AFSA NEWS AFSA President Silverman (left) shares a laugh with Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) during the swearing-in reception for Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). From left: AFSA Retiree Counselor Matt Sumrak and State VP Asada greet Stoney Burke, the chief of staff for Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas). Hurd is a former Central Intelligence Agency employee and a cybersecurity expert. Having served abroad alongside Foreign Service members, he has a unique understanding of the challenges facing American diplomats and the need for resources. AFSA/JAVIERCUEBAS AFSA/DAVIDMURIMI Update: AFSA Promotes Improved Security at State Employee security continues to be one of AFSA’s top priori- ties, as shown by its inclusion in the 2013-2015 Governing Board’s Strategic Plan (see www.bit.ly/1nFz7tl ). AFSA works closely with the State Department and other foreign affairs agencies to address security challenges and ensure that employees are safely and effectively able to engage overseas. Toward that end, AFSA has focused on the need for enhanced lan- guage and security-awareness training. AFSA fully supports the State Department’s recent revision of criteria allowing posts to designate a position to receive language train- ing for reasons of “personal security” that might not qualify for such instruction under the more restrictive “official capacity” category. AFSA believes that this would be of particular value at high- threat, high-risk posts, where multiple positions and skill codes have traditionally been without language designation and language training. AFSA provided feedback to developers of a pilot “Diplo- macy at High-Threat Posts” course (RS 251) at the Foreign Service Institute which is being offered eight times in 2015. AFSA also worked with the department on the creation of a new work requirement for Employee Evaluation Reports that emphasizes the employ- ee’s personal responsibility for security, while at the same time addressing AFSA’s concerns about potential overly broad application in the disciplinary process. The State Department recently instituted a new Vital Presence Validation Process, which it will use to determine whether U.S. government presence in foreign countries engenders more policy ben- efits than risks to its employ- ees. AFSA strongly supports the establishment of such a process and believes it would be enhanced by AFSA’s formal participation overseas at the Emergency Action Committee level and here inWashington. In a January 2014 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, AFSA declared its desire to be involved. AFSA continues to work with the department and our congressional allies in this area. AFSA is concerned by the department’s recent use of “temporary relocation,” for instance, with Embassy Baghdad, rather than the tra- ditional authorized or ordered departures from post. AFSA strongly believes that autho- rized and ordered departures afford management sufficient flexibility to reevaluate staff- ing decisions and ensure that employees receive adequate protections and allowances. In June 2014, AFSA wrote to Acting Director General of the Foreign Service Hans Klemm detailing these con- cerns. AFSA consistently high- lights security concerns when meeting with members of Congress, and has particu- larly focused on the impor- tance of training. AFSA was instrumental in the successful advocacy for the establish- ment of a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Ft. Pickett, Virginia. n — Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern