The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

60 OCTOBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS FAS VP VOICE | BY DAVID MERGEN AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. One of the major challenges the Foreign Agricultural Service faces is the growing staffing gap of Foreign Ser- vice officers at the mid-level (FS-1, FS-2 and FS-3). Thirty percent of our overseas posi- tions are filled with officers in upward stretches, with most of these positions at the mid-level. This is only going to get worse due to the impending mandatory retirement of up to a fourth of the Foreign Service under the “up-or-out” rules. According to a recent report issued by the Govern- ment Accountability Office, the State Department is fac- ing a similar problem: 28 per- cent of its overseas positions are either unfilled or filled by FSOs at a lower grade. Unlike the State Depart- The Mid-Level Staffing Gap ment, where the gap is largely due to the recent surge in hiring (and prior cut- backs), the problem at FAS is mainly caused by insufficient promotions in recent years. The number of FS-1 officers has dropped by 25 percent in the last six years, while the workload has grown. A lot of experience is walking out the door and the officers who remain are fac- ing serious morale problems, because they are asked to do more with fewer opportuni- ties for advancement. The GAO and the depart- ment recognize the staffing gap is a serious issue that needs to be resolved, but it is not clear that U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture manage- ment is ready to take on the problem. The focus at the USDA has been on cutting costs. They are assigning lower-grade FSOs to higher- grade positions even as they reduce the number of higher-grade officers. While this policy has had a major impact on FS job satisfaction, the actual budget savings have been minimal. The severity of the prob- lem is further exacerbated by the fact that our overseas positions already tend to be at a lower grade than those of our counterparts in Com- merce and State. Our constituents in the agricultural community view the Foreign Service and our overseas offices as the most important part of the FAS. If U.S. agriculture were growing less dependent on exports, we could easily scale back our overseas presence. But that is not the case: U.S. exports are increasing in importance, with one in three U.S. farm acres now planted for export, and 31 percent of U.S. gross farm income coming directly from exports. The success of the Foreign Agricultural Service over- seas creates jobs and builds rural communities across America. n A lot of experience is walking out the door and the officers who remain are facing serious morale problems. FSOs Helping Bosnian Street Dogs Survive A model no-kill dog shelter set up in Bosnia’s Brcko Dis- trict, which has been under direct U.S. supervision since shortly after the end of the 1995 war that tore Yugoslavia apart, was recently forced to close, jeopardizing the lives of 99 former street dogs. The presence on the ground of an American supervisor had provided some measure of protection for the canines. But with U.S. supervision now ended, the dogs that lived in the shelter were slated to be killed. To get them to safety, dog lovers, including former FSOs who served in Bosnia, mounted Operation Rescue Them. A new, no-kill shelter site has been located and leased. More than 40 dogs have been moved, thanks to the efforts of a local nongov- ernmental organization, The Society for the Protection and Wellbeing of Animals (known as Arka), based in Novi Sad, Serbia, and man- aged by Branka and Pavel Pasko, a Yugoslav couple. Help is urgently needed to ensure that the remaining dogs are moved to safety and that the new shelter can continue to operate. Dona- tions can be made through the Animal Welfare Institute at www.awionline.org. Please select donation amount, designate one time or recurring and note in the special instructions sec- tion that the donation is for Arka–Bosnian dogs . You may also send your check to AWI, 900 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC, 20003, attention Susan Millward. n