The Foreign Service Journal, June 2011

V.P. VOICE: FAS BY HENRY SCHMICK Rising to the Challenges M y original title for this columnwas going to be“Staring into aDeep andDis- mal Budget Abyss.” Nomatter which political party you belong to or which brand of economic theories you believe in, the coming years will be com- pletely driven by budget concerns. The United States andmost other so-called de- veloped countries must reshuffle social promises (health, retirement, housing, education and even food assistance) to address serious budget deficits. So as we, the foreign affairs com- munity, attempt to address our issues — from overseas comparability pay to staffing and professional development — we will be fighting for a larger slice of the shrinking federal budget pie. Fights are likely to be ongoing, brutal and intense. Not only will we need the best financial data, success stories, out- reach and lobbying, but a new set of brass knuckles and staff to use them, as well. Financial Data & Success Stories: Diplomacy ismuch cheaper thanwar; trade negotiations are far cheaper thanWorld Trade Organization disputes. The return on tax dollars invested in foreign affairs agencies is incredibly high. It is far easier to determine a return on investment for the trade-oriented agencies, FCS and FAS; but disasters averted, famines avoided and reforms supported (think State,USAID and IBB) also generate high ROIs. One dollar invested in the foreign affairs agencies pays for itself hundreds, if not thou- sands of times over. All foreign affairs agencies need to develop more refined suc- cess stories and publicize our high ROI rates. Outreach & Lobbying: After developing our success stories, we all need to make sure the general public is aware and appreciates what we do for them overseas. While Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been a wonderful supporter, we won’t al- ways have such a vocal friend at Defense. Whether by design or historical accident, DOD has an outreach and lobbying operation that dwarfs anything the combined foreign affairs agencies could field. We—AFSA and the foreign affairs agencies— need to reach out to all voters and to Capitol Hill in a muchmore intensive and ex- tensive manner than we do now. Brass Knuckles & Staff: For our Hill lobbying, we will need a new set of “brass knuckles” to knock on all the locked doors and to gain the rapt attention of some of the attention-deficit members of Congress and their staffers. Toward that end, we (AFSA) need to consider an extraordinary increase in our dues (per Article IV of the AFSA bylaws) to fund an increase in our congressional legislative staffing. Presently, any dues increase is tied to the consumer price index, but the threat of ex- traordinary budget cuts calls for more resources if AFSA is to help its members sur- vive the looming fiscal drought. Diplomacy is way cheaper than war; trade negotiations are way cheaper than World Trade Organization disputes. J U N E 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 A F S A N E W S The AFSA Plan BY HERMAN J. COHEN, CHAIRMAN, AFSA INSURANCE COMMITTEE I f you are among the several thousand AFSAmembers whowill bemoving to a new assignment or transferring this year, please consider the AFSA Plan for your personal property insurance needs. In 1972, Ralph Hirshorn and I co- founded the AFSA Plan, an insurance product that covers your personal prop- erty while in transit to an overseas loca- tion, in an overseas location, in transit back to the United States, and in storage anywhere. Why is the AFSA Plan better than all the other personal property coverage out there in the insurance market? Ralph Hirshorn has been improving the AFSA Plan steadily since its inception, while providing personal attention and a keen understanding of the particular needs of Foreign Service personnel. Here are some of the advantages: • No surcharges or exclusions for haz- ardous posts. • You are insured wherever you go without exception and always at the same rate. • No exclusions for natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and floods. • No exclusions for acts of terrorism. • Marring, scratching, breakage and denting are covered. • The premiums for coverage at post (.75 per hundred dollars of value), tran- sit coverage and for scheduled articles (valuables) are lower than ever and less expensive than most. •Valuable items are insured for agreed amounts. In the event of loss, settlement is for the full scheduled amount. Per- sonal effects are insured for full replace- ment, including any necessary freight charges to your current location. • Personal liability coverage is available worldwide for an additional premium. • The underwriter of theAFSAPlan is Chubb, one of the most financially solid and respected insurance companies. To purchase insurance or obtainmore information, please contact the AFSA desk at the Hirshorn Company at (800) 242-8221, or afsainfo@hirshorn.com.