The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

46 MARCH 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Modernize V By overhauling the process, the department can tackle reten- tion and morale problems, create an equitable and transpar- ent system, save taxpayer money, address tandem couples’ issues, and remove institutional barriers that prevent women and minorities from advancing. This will lead to a more diverse Foreign Service that will be better positioned to conduct foreign policy. Christina T. Le is deputy political-military unit chief at U.S. Embassy Tokyo. Trust the Existing Staff in the Transition I was a USAID health and population officer during the transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama. As director of the USAID/Bangladesh Health and Population Office, I had suffered personally and professionally from having to implement the Mexico City Policy and other disastrous population policies during the eight years of the Bush administration. I and many of my fellow officers were delighted with the arrival of the Obama administration and the prospect of designing and managing a more enlightened and effective reproductive health policy after so long. Unfortunately, some new Obama administration leaders at USAID/Washington seemed to think that anyone who served in the Bush administration could not be trusted, and we were not consulted in the development and implementation of new poli- cies. This adversely affected the morale of the Population Office and delayed the implementation of much-needed change. Therefore, my recommendation to the new USAID managers is to carefully assess and utilize the wisdom of the existing Civil and Foreign Service professional career staff in improving the health and population policies of the last administration. Don’t throw out the babies with the fetid bath water! I am sure that this is important in many other development fields, as well. Charles Llewellyn is a retired USAID FSO living in Beaufort, North Carolina. Reimagine Diplomatic Service As we reimagine work in the aftermath of COVID-19, consider the green economy benefits and work/life balance benefits of integrating telework into the federal workforce in a more sustained fashion. Consider establishing secure outposts for classified informa- tion in targeted areas to reduce congestion, relieve commute times, and improve health and housing choices for employees with limited financial resources. As we reimagine diplomatic service, consider not only reform- ing the FS cone system, but also the wall between the Civil Service and Foreign Service. Civil servants should be granted more oppor- tunities to serve abroad, and FSOs should be allowed to transition to the Civil Service (and back again) without significant financial penalties. Both services would benefit from a more fluid separation between them. FSO Tracy Lochbryn, a gender programs adviser for the Bureau of Inter- national Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan, is currently working from Gainesville, Florida. Have Faith in Your Professionals We have high hopes. Please, have faith in your professionals. Please, listen before acting. Finally, expect to hear complaints and negative comments. Understand that many of them come from a place of pain and fear. People can heal better if they feel heard, even if their issue isn't “fixed” in the long run. Phil and Jill Lundy McClendon are retired members of the Foreign Service living in Weatherford, Texas. Trust the Foreign Service Please trust the Foreign Service.That means: Don’t just bring back retired FSOs or retiredmilitary to lead the State Department, comforting as that might seem. Current FSOs are up to the challenge. Much has been written about how the new administration must rebuild the Service and repair morale. Please start by dem- onstrating faith in its current members. Cameron Munter, a retired FSO and former ambassador, lives in Prague, Czech Republic.