The Foreign Service Journal, September 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2019 65 AFSA NEWS George F. Kennan Writing Award Winner Announced Each year AFSA presents the George KennanWriting Award to a Foreign Service officer and graduate of the National War College whose individual research project and writing have demonstrated excel- lence throughout the year. AFSA Governing Board member and Awards Com- mittee Chair Don Jacobson and Brigadier General Chad Manske presented this year’s award to FSO Patrick Ventrell at the college’s Award and Distinguished Graduate Recognition Ceremony at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., on June 7. Mr. Ventrell was also named a distinguished gradu- ate and the winner of the Theodore Roosevelt Award for Scholarship and Leadership (Commandant’s Award). He was praised for two essays proposing strategies on how to best advance American interests in the U.S. power competition with China. Mr. Ventrell’s first essay, “U.S.-China: Maximum Competition with a Release Valve,” explains how the U.S. needs to improve diplomatic and development strategies to counter China. It argues for more resources for State and USAID. His second essay, “Con- taining China’s Expansion: A Narrative Problem,” focuses on improving public diplo- macy strategy to better inform global audiences about China’s actual behavior and intentions. While at the National War College, Mr. Ventrell also completed an independent research and writing project, “Revitalizing America’s Civil- ian Might: Preparing for Bipo- lar Competition,” in which he argues that the department should work to build domestic support for our diplomatic and development power. Mr. Ventrell recommends build- ing a long-term domestic constituency, followed by a push for greater reforms and resources for diplomacy after we have a better domestic connection. Prior to attending the National War College, Mr. Ventrell served at multiple U.S. embassies (Bogotá, San Salvador, Baghdad and Santiago) and worked as the deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York. He joined the Bureau of Public Affairs as director of the Office of Press Relations, provided daily press briefings at the State Department as the acting deputy spokesper- son, and served on detail to the National Security Council staff at theWhite House as director of communications and NSC deputy spokesper- son. This summer, after his graduation from the National War College, Mr. Ventrell joined the State Depart- ment’s Bureau of Interna- tional Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as an office director. In the future, he hopes to return overseas in a leadership position. “A Foreign Service career is already ideal for lifelong learning, but having the unique opportunity to spend an entire academic year pursuing rigorous studies of national security strategy and earn a master’s degree is extraordinary,”Mr. Ventrell said of his National War Col- lege experience. “It was the ideal mid- career moment to acquire new skills and form inter- agency relationships with some of the nation’s best rising military and civilian leaders. It was a phenomenal year, and one I recommend highly to my Foreign Service colleagues. The State Depart- ment has unique and historic ties to the National War College going back to George Kennan’s leadership at the institution, and it is a con- tribution that will hopefully continue on for many more generations.” Many other Foreign Service members were honored at the ceremony as distinguished scholars, and two other FS members were also presented with writing awards. Jennifer Post received the NWC Class of 2010 Ambassador Chris Stevens Award, and Daniela Ballard received the Traeger Award for Excellence inWriting. n 2019 George Kennan recipient FSO Patrick Ventrell, at right, with AFSA Awards Committee Chair Don Jacobson. AFSA/CAROLINEQUINN