The Foreign Service Journal, September 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2020 23 Speaking Out is the Journal ’s opinion forum, a place for lively discussion of issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service and American diplomacy. The views expressed are those of the author; their publication here does not imply endorse- ment by the American Foreign Service Association. Responses are welcome; send them to journal@afsa.org . and skills to U.S. diplomacy as and where needed, without having to be shoehorned into the 50-percent time of the current “retired annuitant” opportu- nities (it would also mirror an approach the military takes in giving officers more years to adjust to their final rank and retirement status). Embassies and bureaus still want full-time senior professionals, offi- cers who can be there every day to contribute their knowledge: leading interagency processes, responding to urgent requests, running multimillion- dollar programs, and mentoring newer officers and specialists to strengthen the future generations of our diplomatic corps. An optional, needs-based five- year appointment after the final senior threshold review would allow skilled and in-demand officers to meet those needs. It is time to reconsider a Time-in- Service number that is past its useful- ness, is not legislated, and is detrimental both to officers and to the Service itself. The State Department borrowed it from the military, a different institution with distinctly better employment prefer- ences available to its retirees. Let’s address the needs of the future now, with our most critical resource: our people. Let’s retire the 27-year threshold. n