The Foreign Service Journal, April 2004

18 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 ork force planning is a complex undertaking that does not have the most successful track record in U.S. government agencies. The foreign affairs agencies are wrestling with it now, as they struggle to recov- er from the mismanagement of the 1990s, when budgets and staffing were ravaged. But the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative at State and the Development Readiness Initiative at USAID are understandably directed more toward emer- gency rebuilding of staffing to meet the urgent responsibilities of the day than long-range planning. In truth, exigency, not strategic planning, continues to drive the largely discrete decisions and policies concerning F O C U S O N F S S T A F F I N G F OREIGN S ERVICE S TAFFING : E DITOR ’ S I NTRODUCTION B Y S TEVEN A LAN H ONLEY David Coulson W