The Foreign Service Journal, May 2022

34 MAY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL fresh talent. But the opportunities are many and varied and the networks for accessing them dynamic. Rounding out my experience have been requests from vari- ous military publications to author book reviews, articles or opinion pieces, or deliver a lecture. Some are compensated, most not. In early December, I was invited to be a panelist (on Zoom) for one of the Joint Special Operations University’s quar- terly forums to provide a State Depart- ment perspective. Based on that, I am also working with that organization on another project tied to one of my prior assignments. Other opportunities exist in the arena of working with, or on behalf of, the U.S. military in a full-time capac- ity. I have referred a dozen retired colleagues for full-time jobs in the Balkans and Middle East to support security force assistance programs funded by both State and the Depart- ment of Defense. There are also posi- tions on faculty for the senior defense service schools (National Defense University cluster, and the Army, Navy, Air Force War Colleges) and the Marshall Center in Garmisch, Germany, as well as civilian employee positions at the major commands that have foreign policy adviser shops. Prior experience is critical here, but there are fewer oppor- tunities today in part because not so many U.S. Army units are in combat zones. This, and other factors, has led to State dialing back the number of FSOs assigned as POLADs since 2013, when the number of FSOs on DoD exchange peaked at about 85, up from 35 to 40 in 2000. This reflected both the ending of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the strain on the Service to provide qualified people. (Sometimes qualified people were sent to places where they were not being used; sometimes they weren’t qualified to do the job, and senior military officers can spot that in an instant.) At the same time, as the positive interaction experienced in Iraq and Afghanistan fades, some American military commanders who want to have more say over their for- eign policy adviser shops have been opting for direct hires from among retired military officers—known quantities—rather than State-DoD details. The Bottom Line Here are some of the nitty-gritty factors that made my post- retirement experiences possible and could help with yours. Networking . Much like my Foreign Service career, nearly every contract I have found me. Some were thanks to a tip from a fellow role player, others from former State and Department of Defense colleagues. One’s reputation combined with effective networking is a force multiplier, another of my “laws”—it isn’t who or what you know, it’s who knows you. I get several recruit- ing help requests monthly and have recommended about a dozen retired, or retiring, colleagues for jobs. There are dozens of com- panies, larger and smaller, that hire retired FSOs ranging frommidlevel officers to former chiefs of mission. Valiant, Northrop Grumman, Ray- theon (and their subcontractors) are the major players, but there are also many small firms. LinkedIn is a good way to find them, or help them find you, and to do proactive networking long before you retire. A case in point: my turning down another chief-of-mission assignment in favor of going to the U.S. European Command in Germany for my last Foreign Service gig. Connec- tions made there led to multiple post-employment job opportu- nities. Security clearance. All of the things I list require at least a current secret clearance, and the company that hires you will hold that clearance under the DoD system. The longer you are away from State and not in the DoD system, the harder to regain a clearance. Experience and “life” expectancy. I spent much of my career in conflict/crisis locations working closely with the U.S. military; my last three assignments were with the military. The military customer wants the real deal, someone who has authentic over- seas experience and is fluent or can become fluent in military jargon and acronyms. But military exercises can be contrived, which can be challenging for an FSO to accept. This has led to some being invited to leave and never come back. One’s rel- evance to the military has a shelf life; you are most valuable the day you retire, but it is possible to keep up by maintaining good Larry Butler supporting an exercise with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart in 2021. COURTESYOFLARRYBUTLER One’s reputation combined with effective networking is a force multiplier.