The Foreign Service Journal, April 2004

ing at the consular level, said Jacobs. DHS Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson testified that his agency is continuing to improve the Stud- ent Exchange and Visitor Infor- mation System, and is also work- ing to increase the DHS presence at consular posts throughout the world. In its investigation, the GAO found that the State Department had no data on how long it took to issue a student visa. In a random sampling of cases of visa applicants subject to a security check known as Visas Mantis, which is designed to protect against sensitive technology transfers, GAO found that the wait averages 67 days, with many cases pending longer. Lack of interop- erability among the systems used by State and the FBI, GAO found, is one of the main problems. Also, there are no checks to verify receipt of requests or information from one agency to another. During visits to posts, the GAO found that officials there lacked clear guidance on when to apply the Visas Mantis process, and were not receiving feedback on the information they provided in their Visas Mantis requests. The GAO recommended that State, in coordination with DHS and the FBI should: l) consider establish- ing milestones to reduce the current number of pending Visas Mantis cases; 2) develop performance goals and measurements for processing Visas Mantis cases; 3) provide addi- tional information to consular posts that clarifies guidance on the Visas Mantis program; and 4) work to achieve interoperable systems and expedite the transmittal of data between agencies. Speaking of Hard Languages American diplomats who master hard languages like Bosnian or Tagalog can win a prize. But imagine yourself in the shoes of a South Korean diplomat, whose 23-year career is suddenly on the line over proficiency in what is arguably the hardest language of all: English. The South Korean Foreign Ministry initiated the English test in 2003 to make the civil servicemore competitive, according to the magazine Korea Now. Diplomats get three chances to pass the test, and move up the career ladder. (Current heads of mission are exempt.) Some Koreans believe the test is unfair to diplomats who have main- ly served in non-English speaking countries, and, while crucial, should not be the most decisive factor in a diplomat’s qualification for advance- ment. C Y B E R N O T E S 14 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 4