58 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA NEWSTHE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION AFSA Welcomes Embassy Evacuees Home AFSA President John Dinkelman, along with members of AFSA staff, greeted Foreign Service evacuees at Washington Dulles International Airport on March 5. Staff and family members had been evacuated following the February 28 U.S. attack on Iran. For the full story on the embassy evacuations, see page 22. n As we approach the one-year anniversary of AFSA’s Service Disrupted campaign, it is worth pausing to reflect on how and why it began, what it has accomplished, and where it is headed as the Foreign Service continues to navigate one of the most turbulent periods in its modern history. The Service Disrupted public awareness campaign was created in response to attacks on the Foreign Service and public service by the current administration. Since 1924, AFSA has served as a nonprofit, nonpartisan, professional organization representing members across six foreign affairs agencies. Through this campaign, AFSA set out to remind the American public and policymakers that a strong Foreign Service is indispensable to the nation’s security and global leadership. “The changes hitting the Foreign Service were unfolding both quickly and quietly, and we felt AFSA needed a vehicle to tell those stories,” said Nikki Gamer, AFSA’s communications and outreach director. “As the voice of the Foreign CALENDAR Please check afsa.org/events for the most up-to-date information. May 1 AFSA Memorial Plaque Ceremony May 20 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting May 25 Memorial Day AFSA Offices Closed June 17 12-1:30 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting June 28 6-8 p.m. AFSA Welcomes June Orientation Class Service Disrupted One Year Later Service, we took it upon ourselves to document the attacks in real time so the story would not be lost to history.” The campaign formally launched on May 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C., with a gathering of more than 200 members of the Foreign Service community and their supporters. Participants marched along two “solidarity walk” routes that wound past the Washington Monument, the White House, the Commerce Department, the State Department, and the Ronald Reagan Building, home to USAID’s former headquarters. The launch event at AFSA featured remarks by then– AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi and other members of AFSA leadership. Each speaker stressed the urgency of defending the integrity and mission of the Foreign Service amid sweeping workforce cuts, reorganization efforts, and aggressive executive actions that had begun to reshape the federal landscape at extraordinary speed. AFSA launched the campaign website, https://servicedisrupted.org, which featured a widely viewed video message Continued on page 62 AFSA/LISA HELLER Vote on Proposed Bylaw Amendments. See page 70.
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