The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2006

80 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 0 6 A FSA has agreed to four new incen- tives for thosewhovolunteer toserve on Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), at Regional Embassy Offices (REOs) and as State Officers Em- beddedwithU.S.Military (SETs). Prior to signing off on the new incentives, AFSA sought feedback frommembersworldwide and held numerous discussions with department management. The four new incentives announcedby the State Department on May 31 are, in brief: 1) For those serving at Iraq PRTs/ REOs/SETs only, and transferring in2007, a firm commitment to one of the mem- ber’s top five choices for an onward assignment (at-grade, in-cone or in-spe- cialty,withno languagewaiver requirement, excludingdeputy chief ofmissionandprin- cipal officer positions). 2)Amended language for the 2006pro- cedural precepts, instructions to the 2006 selection boards, which draws particular attentiontoperformance inPRTs andother regional operations in Iraq. 3) For those serving at Iraq PRTs/ REOs/SETs beginning in2006, plus a lim- ited number of other positions still to be defined, an extension of time-in-class and time-in-service for certainForeign Service members. 4) For those serving in one-year tours Iraq PRTs/REOs/SETs only, beginning in 2006, the option to elect to have family members remainat losingpost during time of Iraq service. (Note: See May 31 State 088092 for the full incentives announce- ment.) AFSA understands the importance that SecretaryRice and the administration placeontransforming Iraqand thehighpri- ority of the State Department to fill all the jobs that have been created there, both at the embassy in Baghdad and outside the capital. AFSAremains convinced, as do the vastmajorityofAFSAmembers around the world, that continuing to staff these posi- tionswithvolunteers is vastlypreferable— for both the department and individual members of the Foreign Service — to resorting to directed assignments. Senior department management officials have assured AFSA that virtually all positions have been filled for the coming year, that there is presently no plan to begin direct- ing Foreign Service members to assign- ments in Iraq, and that the purpose of the package of new incentives is to continue to encourage volunteers to serve in Iraq. The first two incentives listedabovewere the subject ofAFSA’s electronic survey con- ducted in June after theywere initiallypro- posed to associationofficials. Nearly 2,500 active-duty members responded. On the onward-assignment incentive,AFSAmem- bers indicated their willingness to support this proposal as aone-timebenefit for those who volunteer and as a measure to help avoid directed assignments to a war zone, by amarginof 59 to41percent. AFSAand management agreed to take stock of the situation again next year to determine whether the programachieved the desired results. On the promotion incentive, AFSA membersopposedanyexplicit or automatic promotion benefit merely as a reward for volunteering for IraqPRTservice, by awide margin (69 to 31 percent). AFSA mem- bersworldwidemade it clear that they rec- ognize the difficulty of Iraq service but nonetheless seek topreserve the fairness and integrity of a promotion system based on how well an employee performs, not on where an employee is assigned. At the same time, the nearly 2,000 indi- vidual comments that members wrote revealed amore nuanced and flexible atti- tude on the subject of giving due consid- eration toservice inparticularlydifficult and dangerous places. The survey comments indicated that a majority are prepared to accept language in the procedural precepts for promotion that recognizes the unique difficulties of service in war zones, particularly in thePRTs/REOs/SETs in Iraq. AFSA therefore negotiated and ultimately concurred with the lan- guage contained in the DG’s cable, which builds on and slightly mod- ifies the comparable references inthe 2004precepts. The keypoint is that the selectionboardswill continue to base their decisions on “creditable and exemplary” performance. For AFSA and for the overwhelming majority of the Foreign Service, the essen- tial linkbetweenoutstandingperformance andpromotion is the bedrockof ourmer- itocracy and must not be severed. Iraq presents extraordinary challenges for the Foreign Service, and AFSA hopes the new incentiveswill helpus rise to those challenges—without tampering with the basic principles of fairness in the open assignments and promotion systems. A F S A N E W S AFSA AND STATE REACH AGREEMENT New Incentives for Iraq PRT Volunteers For AFSA and for the overwhelming majority of the Foreign Service, the essential link between outstanding performance and promotion is the bedrock of our meritocracy and must not be severed. REBECCA FONG