The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

36 MARCH 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL must be given the authority to develop tactical messages that allow them the greatest flexibility in responding to local chal- lenges. This task cannot be done under the existing centraliza- tion in Washington. Gordon Duguid of Bethesda, Maryland, retired recently as a public diplomacy officer in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with the rank of Minister Counselor. State-Defense Career Track Alignment Integrated operations at the country and area levels under the responsible ambassadors and National Security Council direc- tion could be improved by encouraging parallel career tracks for the Foreign Service and military professionals. The Foreign Service professionals that AFSA represents would benefit from career assignments that focus on the languages, cultures and economies of specific geopolitical areas. These areas should align generally with career tracks of military professionals. To enable this alignment, the State Department must ensure clarity of responsibilities with existing military command areas. Aligning existing career paths between State and the Depart- ment of Defense could encourage individual professional advancement and strengthen professional competence for executing U.S. national security policies and managing diplo- matic international relations. Michael Dwyre is a retired USAID FSO and a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve who lives in Miramar Beach, Florida. Invest More in FSO Training, Tie Education to Promotion To reinvigorate the Foreign Service’s central role in the cre- ation and execution of U.S. foreign policy, the U.S. government needs to invest more resources in higher education programs for FSOs. The State Department can do this in three ways: (1) expand higher education opportunities beyond the war colleges and the Princeton/Harvard master’s degree in public policy programs to include part-time programs and MBAs; (2) upgrade the Foreign Service Institute to a degree-conferring institution on par with the National Defense University, and expand course offerings to include policy analysis and formulation, management and leadership courses taught by leaders in those fields; and (3) require FSOs to complete one of the master’s degree options to be eligible for promotion from FS-2 to FS-1. Currently, the amount of time spent in training by FSOs pales in comparison to the training courses offered by the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies. By forcing a narrative that requires constant time in the field, officers are discouraged from taking the time to develop new skills that will be essential to performing well at the next level. Requiring a one-year master’s degree for promotion to FS-1 will reduce the “training penalty” in the promotion process, and the State Department will be clearly showing a desire to invest in the long-term skills of its workforce. The United States is one of the few countries without a fully accredited diplomatic academy. Upgrading FSI would not only allow State to attract greater teaching talent and provide a wider array of courses and degrees; it would also allow for the development of more robust exchange programs with other diplomatic services. Exchange programs, particularly with emerging regional powers, could build the types of relation- ships that will pay dividends in the field. Focusing on developing specific skills can also add a mea- sure of objectivity to the promotion and assignments process. Our current system is based almost entirely on “corridor reputation,” which leads to persistent biases against women and minorities. With more time in training and a wider range of courses, officers can clearly demonstrate the skills they have, and posts can apply more specific selection criteria. FSO Amy Eagleburger is a political and human rights officer at U.S. Embassy Dushanbe. Make Public Diplomacy a Priority Returning the United States to trusted leadership standing in the world will require a strategy to explain what our country stands for, domestically and internationally, and to counter growing disinformation and propaganda. To do this effectively, experienced public diplomacy professionals are needed. With this aim, the new administration should do the following: • Prioritize a robust, comprehensive public diplomacy pro- gram in the State Department. • Ensure a mutually reinforcing relationship between mak- ing policy and preparing for its reception in foreign countries, one that will engage public diplomacy proactively at every stage. Public diplomacy should not be the caboose.