14 MARCH 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT John Ringquist, PhD, is an instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has served as a security cooperation officer, Army attaché, and senior defense official in 11 countries and seven embassies. The words “joint,” “interagency,” and “interdepartmental” come with expectations and conjure up images of the challenges inherent in mixing different organizational cultures and the secret language of acronyms. Service cultures in the military each have specialized jargon and shortcuts that make complete sense to members of that service, but baffle all but insiders. Outside the Department of Defense (DoD) and its processes, many servicemembers find the communication and culture gap between the military and other agencies to be a learning curve. Some of the problems that first-tour Foreign Service members and military personnel experience in an interagency setting stem from unfamiliarity about how the different agencies operate. These organizational culture differences can be detrimental in an embassy if a deliberate effort is not made to translate and educate from the outset. Mars or Venus? In an embassy, the military is normally represented by the Marine Security Guards, who are directed by a Diplomatic Security Service regional security officer; the Office of Security Cooperation, normally staffed by a major or equivalent and their deputies (captains or sergeants); and the defense attaché, the senior defense official, usually a lieutenant colonel or colonel, depending on the branch. Neither the military officers nor their sergeants are first-tour personnel. They are expected to behave in a disciplined and professional manner. They sometimes make mistakes, however. There are a number of areas in which misunderstanding can lead to trouble. For example, the military’s emphasis on aggressive initiative and direct action can be misunderstood. The military is used for direct action (breaking things), so when working with the interagency, military personnel must also learn a new language to collaborate with their interagency counterparts. When assigned to embassies, military officers and sergeants receive some training on how to work with the interagency, but it is not emphasized. The ruling measure for the military is tact, professionalism, and mission. But how that translates in an embassy is not necessarily self-evident for a member of the military. Military personnel wear uniforms that display their service résumés by means of the uniform’s cut, ranks, and badges. The uniform is a “document” that is legible to members of the military, an open guide to tactful, professional interaction. By contrast, a first-tour Foreign Service officer may appear to a member of the military as a cypher, without similar markings. Civilian attire, combined with the FSO’s job title, may give the military person pause. Should they be addressed as sir or ma’am? Are they senior to me? What are their qualifications? The list can go on. I’ve put together some recommendations and a collaboration checklist that can fill the interagency gap and smooth the interagency process, at least from a cliff to a hill. Recommendations ■ Interagency partners should attend the social events held for new arrivals at the embassy or assignment location. Take advantage of the opportunity to meet your counterpart in civilian attire in a low-stress environment. The social aspect of working in an embassy cannot be ignored. We’re in this together, and it helps to understand why sometimes our counterparts are stressed by certain scenarios. The annual Marine Corps Ball is a great way to see the military on display as well as civilian formal attire. Ask Bridging the Interagency Gap BY JOHN RINGQUIST Organizational culture differences can be detrimental in an embassy if a deliberate effort is not made to translate and educate from the outset.
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