AFSA NEWS 54 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Donuts with Dink During the morning commute on June 17, AFSA took its membership campaign to the streets for “Donuts with Dink,” handing out donuts, AFSA lanyards, stickers, and membership info cards to show our appreciation for members of the U.S. Foreign Service and other State Department employees heading to work. From 7 to 9 a.m., AFSA staff, Governing Board members, and alumni volunteers staffed three Foreign Service commuter locations: a shuttle and bus drop-off near the Foreign Service Institute, a spot near the State Department at 23rd and E streets to catch those arriving by Metro, and in front of AFSA HQ on 21st and E. Balloons, signs, and staff in AFSA-branded gear helped passersby spot the team, and each stop offered a card with a QR code for those who wished to join AFSA or renew their membership on the spot. AFSA team gathered at 21st and E streets with donuts from Heidelberg Bakery. AFSA/MARK PARKHOMENKO AFSA Names Strategic Writing Award Winner In early summer, AFSA named Philip Kern, a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service, the recipient of the 2026 AFSA Strategic Writing Award. Kern earned the honor for the best essay on strategy or policy submitted by a Foreign Service student graduating from the National Defense University (NDU). He completed an MS in national security and resource strategy at NDU’s Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. Kern was selected through a competition open to Foreign Service students across all five NDU colleges. The award carries a prize of $1,000. Kern’s winning paper, “Influence on the Cheap: The Logic and Limits of Russia’s Minimum Viable Presence,” examines how Russia generates outsized political influence in Africa through small, low-cost deployments, and where that approach breaks down. Kern assumed duties as chargé d’affaires, a.i., at U.S. Embassy Port of Spain in June 2026. He most recently served overseas as deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou. Earlier assignments include political officer in Paris, management officer in Mogadishu and N’Djamena, two tours in the Department of State Operations Center, consular officer in Kyiv, and general services officer in Djibouti. Kern is the recipient of multiple Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards and the department’s 2020 ICASS Collaboration Award, which recognizes outstanding interagency leadership at overseas missions. He holds a BA from Brigham Young University and speaks French, Russian, and Ukrainian. The AFSA Strategic Writing Award is presented each year to an FS graduate from any of NDU’s five colleges— the National War College, the College of Information and Cyberspace, the College of International Security Affairs, the Eisenhower School, and the Joint Forces Staff College. Winners are honored at their graduation ceremony. The award was formerly the George F. Kennan Strategic Writing Award, named for George F. Kennan, the first deputy commandant of the National War College, where he wrote his famous 1947 article, “The Sources of Soviet Conduct.” It was renamed in 2022 when eligibility was expanded to include FS students from all five NDU colleges. For more information on this award, please contact AFSA’s Programs and Member Engagement department at member@ afsa.org. n The event gave AFSA a new, in-person way to connect with members, while thanking them for their support and reminding them to keep their membership active. It was also just plain fun, and passersby—Foreign Service, Civil Service, contractors, and others—were all welcomed to join in and have a treat on AFSA. n AFSA President John Dinkelman (left) presents Philip Kern with his award at AFSA HQ on June 12. AFSA/JAHARI FRASER
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