The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

introverts would go a long way toward cementing the leadership structure we must have in place. Mr. Naland has used the U.S. mil- itary as an example of professional education and leadership develop- ment, and I agree. A one-week lead- ership course at FSI for our officers is a flimsy foundation compared to how much time, education and scrutiny military officers are afforded before they are given command of personnel and resources. The Foreign Service can grow intellectuals with solid leadership skills. We just need to recruit in the right places, train our future leaders well, weed out the non-performers and promote those with intellect as well as a talent for leading people. Robert J. Roulston Assistant Regional Security Officer Embassy Caracas Safeguard the Hiring Process I would like to commend Shawn Dorman for her clear explanation of the changes in the Foreign Service examination system in the June FSJ . I must confess that when I heard that the exam system was to be tinkered with yet again, I was a little bit uneasy, particularly with the idea of an online written test. Upon reflection, it would appear that the new system has been well thought out, and has the potential to lead to a hiring process that is essen- tially fair. I am not particularly con- cerned about the elaborate registra- tion process, which others have criti- cized, because it will have the effect of weeding out those who are not truly interested in pursuing a Foreign Service career. There is still one aspect of the new system, however, that I find disquiet- ing: the increasing complexity of the intake process itself. A number of new steps have been added, and each new step creates an opportunity to shape the pool of job applicants according to the prejudices of the day. Because of this, I hope that every safe- guard will be put in place to ensure that “political correctness” will not be allowed to intrude upon a process that should, under ideal conditions, be expected to select personnel primarily according to merit. This problem could become especially acute if the written exam were made too easy, thus allowing the Qualifications Evaluation Panel to choose candidates for the Oral Assessment who would not have made it past the written exam in previ- ous years. There has been a tendency over the past few decades to “lower the bar” with regard to the written exam. When I first took the exam in 1971, it was the hardest test I ever took. I sweated bullets waiting for my marks, but in the end passed and went on to pass the orals, which at the time were little more than a glorified interview. I took the written exam again in 1999, and found that over the years it had become considerably easier, although this was remedied by the much more realistic oral assessment process. If, over the next few years, stan- dards for the written exam are further relaxed, that would raise a red flag about the purpose and objectivity of the new hiring system. James F. Schumaker FSO, retired San Clemente, Calif. Ignoring USAID? With specific regard to the June FSJ , and earlier issues as well, why do you seem to ignore USAID FSOs and issues? It is certainly true that there are many overlaps between the life and personnel system of State and USAID — but there are also impor- tant differences. Are you confirming the suspicion of demoralized USAID staff that the creation of State’s F Bureau represents the effective inte- gration of our agency into State by stealth? Irving Rosenthal USAID FSO, retired Washington, D.C. Editor’s Note: In fact, several articles and columns in the June FSJ (mostly, but not only, in the AFSA News section) discuss USAID concerns, as is true every month. Admittedly, the June issue, focusing on the future of the Foreign Service personnel system, did concen- trate more than usual on State Depart- ment-specific topics — but that is only because the State cohort accounts for more than 90 percent of the active- duty Foreign Service. That said, let me reassure you that we are eager to publish material deal- ing with professional and policy topics affecting members from all AFSA con- stituencies. For more details on how to submit contributions, please see this month’s “Letter from the Editor” (p. 16). Service for the Unaccompanied As the spouse of an FSO currently on his way to a posting at a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq, I read Kelly Bembry Midura’s June article on family life in the Foreign Service (“Going It Alone: Family Life in the ‘New’ Foreign Service”) with some interest. Because my sister-in-law is career Air Force with previous de- ployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, our family has seen the support given to unaccompanied deployments from both sides of the military/civilian divide. Simply put, State has a long way to go to meet the kind of support the military provides to its separated families. As Ms. Midura points out, the FLO and its unaccompanied tour spe- cialist are working very hard with few S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 L E T T E R S u