The Foreign Service Journal, March 2021

48 MARCH 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Second , the Biden-Harris administration should prioritize sci- ence and health diplomacy by creating a separate environment, science, technology and health (ESTH) cone. It should support functional training for work in bureaus such as Oceans and Envi- ronmental Sciences, career development through exchanges, graduate training and meaningful work opportunities in other agencies. In addition, increased coordination for a whole-of-govern- ment policy from State, USAID, the Millennium Challenge Cor- poration, Department of Defense, National Security Council and the intelligence community is essential to addressing challenges from anthropogenic climate change and epidemics and their links to poverty, political instability and social crisis. Third , the administration should prioritize moral courage by entirely redesigning the employee evaluation report to reward risk taking and honest appraisal rather than compliance and risk avoidance. The department should support more flexible hiring mechanisms and opportunities to serve, such as midlevel hiring of FSOs, expanded eligible family member positions, a Foreign Service–Reserve Officer Training Corps program and conversion mechanisms between the Civil and Foreign Service. Effective support for diversity and inclusion is essential, not only to ensure that the department reflects the United States’ diverse heritage, but also by encouraging debate, respectful disagree- ment and data-driven analysis over clearance by superiors or Washington. Finally, the department should transform the Foreign Service Institute to become a degree-granting diplomatic studies acad- emy similar to the U.S. military service academies. Significant, rigorous training of no less than six months of full-time study or participation in seminars should be required at entry, mid- and senior levels as a prerequisite to promotion. FSO Ian Parker serves at U.S. Consulate General Merida in Mexico. Address Midlevel Entry and Assignments In 2010 I was part of the 150th A-100 class of 82 people with an average age of 32. Ten of us were over 50, and to my knowl- edge we have all left the Service. Our reasons for leaving are similar and could be cured partially by some of these sugges- tions. First , implement a midlevel entry program so that executives and otherwise experienced people age 50 or older could manage people and use their skills, perhaps as an FS-2 after A-100 and additional specialty training. Combine this with eliminating the five “cones” of specialization, and evaluating preexisting skills brought into the Foreign Service rather than dismissing them as irrelevant. This suggestion gets at the heart of moving away from the internship approach and to a modern personnel paradigm where people with knowledge and skills are hired and then fully utilized. Second , examine the entire structure of why and how FSOs rotate posts and, more critically, what FSOs do. Do we really need 10 political officers at an embassy writing cables that few read and contain information everyone could get from watching CNN? Perhaps, for example, economic officers and members of the Foreign Commercial Service should be merged, with a much greater focus put on creating jobs in America through increased foreign direct investment and networking. Third , learn a language in country, not in Arlington, Virginia. We need to look critically at how languages are taught, evaluate which positions need to be language designated, and require a better return on investment than one year in country for one or two years studying a language full time. Fourth , require a 360-degree review for employee evalua- tion reports. This reform alone, to have bosses reviewed by their employees, would revolutionize State. Senior and other supervi- sory FSOs would be held accountable for their leadership skills and for the performance of their sections. Bob Perls, a former FSO, is a business owner and management con- sultant in Corrales, New Mexico. Care for U.S. Diplomats To reinvigorate U.S. diplomacy, the new administration must first reinvigorate U.S. diplomats. It is no secret that morale has steadily dropped in recent years. Despite the professionalism of our nation’s Foreign Service officers, it is implicitly more difficult to advocate for the mission when one doesn’t feel a part of it. Reassuring old allies that the United States “is back” is important, of course, but it can be back only if the foot soldiers of diplomacy feel like they are back, too. Diplomats need to be cared for, and—in turn—they will care for diplomacy. FSO Kaleb Rogers is on temporary assignment to the State Depart- ment’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.