The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 0 7 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 75 A F S A N E W S mational diplomacy” initiative. Achieving theseobjectiveswill require the aggressive and sustained personal involvement of both the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary of State. Ambassador Thomas Boyatt, the FAC’s president, presented the report at AFSA’s press conference, supported by the report’s editor, Ambassador EdwardRowell. Twelvemedia representatives attended the conference, including reporters fromNPR, CNN, the Los Angeles Times , USA Today, Reuters and the Associated Press. Heavy nationwide media coverage resulted, including articles in the New York Times , the Washington Post , Washington Times , the Federal Times and the Los Angeles Times , among others. The AP and Reuters articles were picked up by Government Executive , the Chicago Tribune and at least 40 other papers nationwide. In addition, Amb. Boyatt was interviewed by CNN and Federal News Radio. The FAC is a nonpartisan umbrella group of 11 orga- nizations concerned about the processes of diplomacy and the leadership andmanagement of the people of the Foreign Service and State Department. Members include AFSA, which supplied administrative support for the project; the American Academy of Diplomacy; Associates of the American Foreign ServiceWorldwide; the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training; the Association of Black American Ambassadors; the Business Council for International Understanding; the Council of American Ambassadors; the Una Chapman Cox Foundation; the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation; Diplomatic andConsular Officers, Retired; and the Public Members Association of the Foreign Service, USA. Funding was provided by the Cox Foundation and the Delavan Foundation. “Managing Secretary Rice’s State Department: An Independent Assessment” is the third biennial assessment by the FAC. The study outlines progress as well as problems relating to the management of the State Department. The personnel short- fall highlighted in the report was the hook for most of the media coverage resulting fromthe press conference. Several articles high- lighted the part of the report that links worsening morale to the 18.6-percent cut in base pay that State’s entry-level andmid-level officers take when departing Washington for an overseas assign- ment, the overseas comparability pay issue that is a top priority for AFSA. Questions askedby the press focusedon Iraq andmorale. Amb. Boyatt was urged to compare Sec. Rice to former Secretary Colin Powell, and challenged to give each a grade for management per- formance. Amb. Boyatt replied that Sec. Powell had achieved an A grade, while Sec. Rice “has the potential” for an A. State Department spokesman SeanMcCormack called the report “arm- chair quarterbacking,” but agreed that the State Department does needmore person- nel. The key findings of theFACaredescribed in the report’s executive summary: “Between 2001 and 2005, 1,069newpositions and sig- nificant program funding increases were obtained through theDiplomaticReadiness Initiative. Since then, all of these positions/people have been absorbed by assignments to Iraq, Afghanistan and other difficult posts. Today, some 200 existing jobs — most overseas — are unfilled and the additional 900 training slots necessary to provide essential linguistic and functional skills do not exist. “In the first two years of Sec. Rice’s stewardship almost no net new resources have been realized. ‘JobOne’ for StateDepartment management is to obtain the 1,100 newpositions needed tomove the Foreign Service fromwhere it is to where it needs to be in the context of Sec. Rice’s highest priority — her signature ‘transfor- mational diplomacy’ initiative. Achieving this objectivewill require the aggressive and sustained personal involvement of both the Secretary andDeputy Secretary, bothwithin administration coun- cils andwithCongress. Theywill have the ForeignAffairsCouncil’s support.” AFSA has distributed copies of the report to all members of Congress and selected staffers; additional leading media repre- sentatives who were unable to attend the press conference; select- ed think-tanks, policy centers and universities; and other public and private sector individuals and institutions. The report is post- ed on the AFSAWeb site, at www.afsa.org. Press Conference • Continued from page 69 The personnel shortfall highlighted in the report was the hook for most of the media coverage resulting from the press conference. Questions asked by the press focused on Iraq and morale. FAC President Thomas Boyatt speaking at the June 5 press conference held at AFSA headquarters. NATALIE TAGGERT