The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

this year’swinning essay, please go towww. afsa.org/essaycontest. This nationwide essay contest is fund- ed by AFSA’s Fund for American Diplo- macy, which supports enhanced public education and outreach in order to explain the critical role of U.S. diplomacy indefendingnational interests. Please con- sider making a tax-free donation to FAD online by going to: www.afsa.org/cfcfad. cfm. ❏ A StateDepartment directive instructsUSAIDmissions to consolidate, asmuch as possible, all administrative operations overseas with the embassy. This is in spite of the fact that USAID employees indicated in a recent survey that con- solidation has so far had less than optimal results. And while congressional funding requests are now joint State-USAID doc- uments, the irony is there is no compara- ble push to equalize benefits and salaries across the two agencies. This inequity exists despite specific lan- guage in the Foreign Service Act of 1980 directing the Secretary of State to assure “maximumcompatibility among the agen- cies authorizedby law toutilize the Foreign Service personnel system.” The laweven directs heads of agencies to confer with the Secretary of State tomake sure this hap- pens. Regrettably, we have two very different Foreign Service personnel systems at State and USAID that pose continuing inequities. Themost immediate probleminvolves FSOentry-level salaries, which favor State employees. The reason for this is the differentmethodologies used. At State, a salary grade and step level is established based on education level ranging from no college degree (FS-6) to a doctorate (FS-4). One also gets credit for years of relevant expe- rience. At USAID, the applicant is required to hold a master’s degree just to start at the FS-6 level. State offers a special adjustment tomatch salary for thosewho losemoney by join- ing the Foreign Service. At USAID, previous salary history can take one to the top of the FS-6 level, but no further. If you lose money by joining USAID, there’s no recourse. In practical terms, most State FSOs end up with salaries tens of thousands of dollars higher than those at USAID. AFSAhears fromnewUSAIDFSOswhoneed toborrowmoney fromfamily and banks just tomake it through their first year inWashington, D.C. In some extreme cases, there are stories of officers sleeping in their cars ormoving inwith friends. Salaries for new officers are not a simple matter of “supply and demand.” It is a question of fairness and good business practices. A certainminimum income is required to live in the high-costWashington area, especially for employees with families. State has it right. There is no justification for putting officers in such desperate situations. There should be uniformity in FSO benefits and, especially, salaries across State and USAID. All employee benefits for State and USAID need to be reviewed, but entry-level salaries need immediate attention. We have approached the new leader- ship of USAID, and they seem concerned and cooperative. I hope to report success to you soon. ❏ OC T OB E R 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 47 A F S A N E W S V.P. VOICE: USAID ■ BY FRANCISCOZAMORA Consolidation vs. Equity National War College • Continued from page 43 Previous assignments include other tours in EEB, a stint in the Office of the Vice President in 2000 and a year as a Brook- ings Institution Legislative Fellow for the SenateCommittee onHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs. AFSAvalues its role in sponsoring and presenting the Kennan Award as part of the association’s longtime encourage- ment of outstandingwriting and research skills, and also for what the award does to enhance interagency awareness. The award is part of theNationalWar College’s annual program recognizing excellence in writing. The NWC selects the winning essay written by a State Department employee without regard to the author’s bureau, service or theme. “I was struck by the spirit of camar- aderie and collegiality with which the awardees were honored by all in atten- dance,” Hirsch said. “This was an interagency group, and it highlighted, aswell, on a small, symbolic scale, thedegree towhichat least thosepar- ticipants understood the tight weave betweendiplomacy andmilitary force, and the fact that we are all colleagues toward the same purpose.” ❏ Regrettably, we have two very different Foreign Service personnel systems coexisting at State and USAID that pose continuing inequities. The 2010 contest generated more than 400 submissions from high school students nationwide.