The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2010

I f it weren’t for the synergistic relationship between our Civil and Foreign Service staffs, the U.S. Agency for International Development just would not function. Together, the Civil Service inWashington and the Foreign Service inmore than 80missions overseas deliver development assistance fromtheAmericanpeopleworld- wide. Like a body’s left and right hands, we create a product that would be impos- sible to do “one-handed.” Although FSOs experience first- hand the results of this labor, our GS colleagues deserve to share the acco- lades, rewards and credit for our good work. Still, each of us is a specialist in his or her own field due to training, education and,mostly, experience. It is important to remember that we are not easily interchangeable. TheForeignService is a structuredcareer profession thatwas codified in theForeign Service Act of 1980 and goes back almost a century. The “up-or-out” component is modeled on the U.S. Navy practice started in 1916 and brought into the FS in the late 1940s. It involves a progression from the entry-level to the senior ranks, where one is required to retire if benchmarks are not met. In order to climb the career lad- der, FSOs spendmost of their careers competingwith eachother in a series of increas- ingly challenging assignments. In addition, they take their families along to share in the joys and sacrifices foreignassignments offer. Toward the endof their careers some may achieve positions as high as mission director. It is understandable, then, that FSOs are upset whenever a Civil Service employ- ee with no substantial overseas experience is placed in a Foreign Service assignment. Regrettably, the current regulations allow the Secretary of State or her designee to do just that on an exceptional basis. However, lately there have been a string of these assignments tohigh-level overseas positions. Windhoek andManila bothhave non- FSOs as mission directors, and Rome has a senior adviser from outside the Service. This is not because qualified candidates were unavailable, but is instead due to polit- ical expediency and the preferences of the USAID Administrator. Apart from the resultingmorale problems, these actions do not bode well for the Foreign Service. Experience in our dealings with foreign counterparts is honed over the span of a career. It is a disservice to our country to send unprepared represen- tatives who must learn “on the job” what requires a lifetime of training. We were expecting our new Administrator to operate differently and strengthen the Foreign Service, but this is not what seems tobe happening. If the trend continues, our career Foreign Service will be negatively affected. Again, our GS colleagues are the sine qua non for a successful Foreign Service. But we all have a role, and there is a place for everyone to contribute. Favoritism in overseas assignments is not the answer. ❏ It is a disservice to our country to send unprepared representatives who must learn “on the job” what requires a lifetime of training. V.P. VOICE: USAID ■ BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA A Place for Everyone 62 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 1 0 A F S A N E W S TRANSITION CENTER SCHEDULE OF COURSES July 12 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day July 12-13 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar July 13 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar July 17 MQ116 Protocol July 19-20 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar July 22-23 MQ104 Regulations, Allowances and Finances July 26 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day July 26-27 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar July 27 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar July 31 MQ802 Communicating Across Cultures Aug. 9 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day Aug. 9-10 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 10 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 14 MQ116 Protocol Aug. 16 MQ250 Young Diplomats Day Aug. 16-17 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 17 MQ914 Youth Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 23-24 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 30-31 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Aug. 31 MQ115 Explaining America Sept. 9 MQ302 Transition to Washington for Foreign-Born Spouses/Partners Sept. 13-14 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Sept. 16 MQ703 Post Options for Employment and Training Sept. 18 MQ116 Protocol Sept. 20-21 MQ911 Security Overseas Seminar Sept. 24 MQ803 Realities of Foreign Service Life To register or for further information, e-mail the FSI Transition Center at FSITCTraining@ state.gov.